Councillor Jenny Kay (right) with staff and families from St Jude and St Paul’s School

THE old Victorian bridge was crumbling and unsafe and needed to be closed following fears it could collapse. But after a year and a half out of action, the Dalston landmark has finally reopened.

The iron girders on the bridge in Kingsbury Road had “extensively corroded” since it first opened in 1916 and after being demolished at Christmas, a new bridge was hoisted in by crane in January.

Headteacher of nearby St Jude and St Paul’s School, Adeola Oladejo, said she was “delighted” with the bridge’s reopening, proclaiming: “We can all get to school quicker again. Parents, children, staff and local residents are all very happy.”

The bridge before the work was undertaken

The next phase of the reopening will include building a new £500,000 St Jude’s Street Garden and playground, which had to be closed to make way for the bridge. Network Rail contributed £140k to the project, while the rest came from a pot of money from developers of nearby construction sites.

Councillor Jenny Kay praised the community spirit and teamwork between different schools and organisations, which saw designs for the playground made collaboratively.

“I’m really grateful to Cycle Islington and to the families and staff at St Jude and St Paul’s School for keeping up the pressure on the council and on Network Rail to get this job done fast,” she added.

“This is a key route for our community and for the thousands of cyclists that use it everyday and it’s a great relief to have it open again.”

The cycle route links the City with Tottenham. The playground is expected to open later this year.