Goodbye to history making bridge
AN OLD bridge which had been restricting river water flow in a village flooded three times in the last eight years has been removed.
Contractors VBA, employed by the Environment Agency, have reached the final stages of the demolition of the old Caldene Bridge following the opening of a new wider bridge in Mytholmroyd last month.
Removal of the bridge has taken four weeks and has been completed in stages.
This included the installation of temporary scaffolding to allow contractors to safely access all the areas needed to be dismantled
breaking out the road surface of the old bridge deck and the lifting of the beams out using a crane has also taken place.
Paul Swales, senior flood risk advisor for the Environment Agency, said: “We would like to thank local people and the wider community for their patience, understanding and cooperation during the disruption caused throughout construction.
“There is still work to do but opening the new bridge and demolishing the old one is a major milestone for the project and will help better protect residents and businesses in Mytholmroyd
from flooding in the future.”
The original Caldene Bridge opened in 1909 and was the first in the country to be constructed of reinforced concrete.
It was replaced in the early 1990s by the present structure.
However, Caldene Bridge was a major constriction to the flow of the river and contributed towards the Boxing Day 2015 flood event in Mytholmroyd.
The new bridge opened on Monday May 18 and it has been designed to help reduce flood risk in Mytholmroyd.
We would like to thank local people and the wider community for their patience
Excavation works beneath the new bridge are almost complete making this area nearly twice the size of the one being demolished.
Replacing the old bridge is a major milestone in the £35m Mytholmroyd Flood Alleviation Scheme which will better protecting around 400 properties from the risk of flooding in the future.
All work is being carried out in line with government guidance for safe working during the coronavirus pandemic.
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