Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, has completed reconstruction works to the historic 18th century grade two listed Tadcaster Bridge.
The bridge was closed after its partial collapse due to the force of flood water after heavy rains during Christmas 2015. The works, which began in January 2016 on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council, have reunited the East and West side of the town, re-establishing vital links for residents and local businesses.
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.
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.”
Having implemented over night shift working, Balfour Beatty completed the project to schedule, in just over 12 months, despite high river levels and freezing conditions.
Don Mackenzie, North Yorkshire County Council's executive member for highways, said: “"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."
ENDS
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Notes to editors:
- Balfour Beatty (www.balfourbeatty.com) is a leading international infrastructure group. With 34,000 employees, we provide innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. We finance, develop, build and maintain complex infrastructure such as transportation, power and utility systems, social and commercial buildings.
Our main geographies are the UK, US, Middle East and South East Asia. Over the last 100 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world including the London Olympics’ Aquatic Centre, Hong Kong’s first Zero Carbon building, the world’s biggest shopping mall in Dubai, the National Museum of the Marine Corps in the US and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.
