Contractor appointed to restore historic bridge

Esh Construction has been appointed to repair and restore the 300-year-old Stamford Bridge, in East Yorkshire.

The single-lane 18th century bridge on the A166 near York has suffered damage to parapets over the years owing to a series of vehicle collisions.

Work on the bridge, which spans the River Derwent, is due to start in mid-May with diversions to be confirmed soon.

Esh’s civils division was awarded the contract through YORHub’s YORcivil2 Framework and is the second of two bridges to be restored on behalf of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, following the completion of works to Bubwith bridge in autumn 2023.

Stamford Bridge is an 80m long Grade II listed bridge, built in 1727. Old and damaged stone will be replaced to bring the bridge back into a good condition and additional bollards will be installed to add extra protection.

The A166 will be closed during the works owing to the need for scaffolding to be used for the bridge’s repairs.

Michael Sherrard, construction manager at Esh Construction, said: “As Stamford Bridge is a single lane bridge, we’ll need to add scaffolding on the road to access the works, which makes a closure essential.

“This is an historic bridge in the area and we will be using lime mortar to keep the style and original look of the bridge, with the materials being sourced from the same place. We want to get the bridge back into a condition where it lasts another 300 years.

“We understand the road closure will impact local residents and people travelling to the coast during the repairs and our teams have committed to working longer days and at weekends to finalise the work as soon as possible.”

The adjacent footbridge will remain open, while access to a local car park and shops will be maintained throughout the bridge works.

A similar scheme in Bubwith saw Esh deliver emergency repair and strengthening works after the bridge, which carries the A163 over the River Derwent, was hit by a car in September 2022, causing significant damage to the headwall and parapet.

Councillor Paul West, East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “The council was extremely impressed by the work Esh Construction carried out on the bridge at Bubwith last year, so we’re pleased it will be delivering these repairs to the road bridge at Stamford Bridge.

“The firm understands the importance of this work and the disruption a closure will cause, and it has already committed to working extra hours and weekends in order to complete the scheme as soon as possible.

“When it’s finished, we will be left with a much stronger bridge that is designed to prevent further damage from happening.”