The collapsed Grayston Drive pedestrian and cyclist bridge structure has been called a disaster waiting to happen by expert witness Garry Farrow.

Farrow, the first witness for Form-Scaff, the scaffolding supplier on the project, told the inquiry that the bridge structure was nothing like the design drawings.

According to a report by Times Live, Farrow gave the following findings:

• Two super-shore lacing tubes were missing from the top row on the eastern side of the structure
• Only 10 of the 20 indicated super-shore lacing tubes (on both the eastern and western sides) were installed
• While it was intended there would be 40 lacings between the shoring and the scaffolding battery on the eastern side, there were 20 and 18 on the western side
• There were additional members installed on the eastern side scaffold battery, which were not indicated on the drawings
• There were 39 oblique members that ran across the width of the structure that were not indicated on the drawings.

Farrow believes that these deviations and discrepancies contributed to insufficient resistance to sway loads and ultimately the collapse.

He added that the structure failed the scaffolding design compliance test, which he used to determine its compliance with standard requirements.