The repair of Tadcaster Bridge

Tadcaster, United Kingdom

Year

2017

Duration

13 months

Cost

£5 million

Location

United Kingdom

Project achievements

Connected communities

Reconnecting the town after the bridge collapse split it in two

Used engineering skill

Widened the footpaths to modern standards without needing major extensions to the arched structure

Conservation

Salvaged stone for re-use on the project and on other renovation works in the area

Reunite a community after a flood tore it in two

The 2017 project to repair Tadcaster Bridge in North Yorkshire was always about more than rebuilding a flood-damaged structure. First and foremost, it was about reuniting a community.

Following the devastating flooding in December 2015, the bridge in Tadcaster collapsed, splitting the town into two.

The bridge, whose arches date back to the 16^th century, also has an ‘upstream’ structure, which was added in the 1780s. It was the newer upstream pier and arches that failed during the 2015 flood.

A footbridge needed to be installed to reconnect the town and then make permanent repairs.

Tadcaster Bridge became the poster story and symbol of the devastation suffered by so many, attracting local and national media attention.

This high-profile, sensitive and complex project requiring specialist and traditional construction skills was a challenge from the outset.

Since it reopened in 2017, the bridge has faced closures during bad weather for safety reasons.

... the world is changing and things that are impacting globally are impacting us here, so we do just have to get used to what will be normal for us.
North Yorkshire Councillor Kirsty Poskitt, speaking on the need for bridge closures for BBC News

Did you know …

The bridge was originally built in 1580 with an extension added in 1780s.
800 locally sourced individually hand-shaped stone blocks used in the rebuild.
The project received intense regional and national media coverage.

Project achievements and benefits

Without the bridge, locals had to make a 9-mile detour of 20 minutes by car to reach essential services on the other side of town.

The team did everything possible to keep work progressing, including erecting heated tents over the masonry parapet wall to combat the freezing conditions in December 2016 and January 2017. The team worked 24/7 shifts.

The team certainly made their mark and were given a special thank you during one Sunday shift.

Locals surprised them with afternoon tea and cake to show just how much their round the clock efforts were appreciated in the community.

The local generosity was there throughout the project, providing Christmas lunch and numerous other treats for the workforce.

Thousands gathered to celebrate the bridge's reopening in February 2017, just over a year after it was cut in two.

Project elements

The project team successfully implemented a value engineering (VE) design to reduce the base depth.

This enabled the excavation to a depth of 2.5m below existing river level and 1m below the existing bridge footing, instead of the 5-6m originally proposed.

The reduction in depth saved time and cost and carried less risk to the workforce during construction.

Pre-cast concrete units were used to construct the road deck. This enabled widening of the footpaths to modern compliance without major extensions to the arched structure.

This offered benefits to the programme and cost in the goal to open to public use as soon as possible.

A ladder beam scaffold bridge system, originally developed at another project, was used to provide safe and consistent access. It removed the need for temporary works to be assembled, disassembled and reassembled as the works progressed.

The project team were predominantly working within the River Wharfe so extra consideration was required to ensure works were contained to eliminate the risk of contamination.

The first priority was to remove debris from the river caused by the collapse.

Maximum amounts of stone were salvaged for re-use, but much of it was beyond saving and repair.

This material is now stored with North Yorkshire County Council for use in other repair and renovation work in the area. Other stone was washed, treated and reused to infill and re-profile the river bed.