Esh Construction wins contract for repairs to coast road bridge

NORTH of England contractor Esh Construction has been appointed to repair and restore the 300-yearold 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 commence in mid-May with diversions to be announced soon.

Stamford Bridge is an 80m-long Grade II-listed bridge, built in 1727. Through the repairs, 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.

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 that 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 River Derwent is designated as a nationally important Site of Special Scientific Interest, meaning the site supports rare and endangered species, habitats and natural features.

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.

The A166 will be closed during the works. 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.