Balfour Beatty complete reconstruction works on flood-hit Tadcaster Bridge

Balfour Beatty, multinational infrastructure group, has completed reconstruction works to the 18th century Grade-II listed Tadcaster Bridge.

The bridge closed after collapsing due to the force of flood water from heavy rains during Christmas 2015.

Work to repair the bridge, on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council, began in January 2016.

Now the bridge has reopened, the East and West side of the town are once again connected and links for residents and local businesses have been re-established.

Balfour Beatty utilised its expertise across the project, including its knowledge of coastal protection schemes, to stabilise the remaining structure, implement a temporary footbridge and widen the existing bridge by two metres.

Having implemented over night shift working, Balfour Beatty completed the project to schedule, in just over 12 months.

Dave Robinson, project director for Tadcaster Bridge at Balfour Beatty, said: “Balfour Beatty is extremely proud to have played a part in rebuilding Tadcaster Bridge, giving back to the local community this important link.

“Due to its Grade-II listed status we have had to draw on our extensive experience to employ traditional materials and methods to reconstruct the bridge as it was originally built.

“We have also implemented 21st century technology during the reconstruction process, using our in-house team to carry out a 3D survey of the structure to establish geometry for the design of the works.

“We were delighted to be appointed by North Yorkshire County Council, following a successful partnership on the North Yorkshire coastal protection scheme and hope the local community is able to enjoy the reopened Tadcaster Bridge for many more centuries to come.”

Don Mackenzie, North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways, added: “I am very proud of the enormous effort made by our contractors, Balfour Beatty, and our bridges team to complete a very challenging project of this kind in little more than half the time it would normally take.”