CRT gets the hump over costly bridge strikes
THE Canal & River Trust is asking drivers to take much more care when crossing the 200-year-old hump-back bridges that span the nation’s canal network.
Each year modern vehicles and HGVs cause up to £1 million of damage to bridges which were built to carry horse-drawn carts. Among its network of canals and rivers, the trust looks after 2800 of these historical structures.
The majority of accidents are ‘hit and run’, leaving the trust unable to recoup the cost of the damage from drivers’ insurers and diverting vital funds away from work to conserve the nation’s waterways.
In the Yorkshire & North East region, Priest Holme Bridge, a Grade II listed bridge on a rural section of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal between Gargrave and Bank Newton, has been frequently struck by vehicles.
Regional director Sean McGinley said: “Priest Holme Bridge has been damaged several times over the years by vehicles misjudging the road. Not only are these bridge strikes inconveniencing other motorists and the local community, they are damaging the region’s waterways heritage and are costly to repair.
“Each time our charity is left to pick up the repair bill, usually in the region of £25,000. We are working closely with North Yorkshire County Council’s highways department to find a way to resolve this ongoing issue.”
The Trust’s team will be carrying out repairs to the bridge over several weeks; the project is scheduled to take place between April and October 2022, with dates to be confirmed nearer the time.
Ruth Garratt, trust heritage advisor added: “Each time a bridge is hit a small bit of history is lost. If motorists just slowed down a bit and paid more attention, they would save a lot of cost and aggravation. It’s important that people respect the weight limit of the bridge and, if they exceed it, then we’d ask them to please find an alternative route.”