Bubwith bridge repairs could add an hour to journeys - villagers

Repairs to an 18th Century bridge could add almost an hour to local journeys, villagers have said.

The bridge on the A163 at Bubwith is on a main route between East Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. It was damaged in 2022 when hit by a car.

The bridge is due to close for major repairs in July lasting up to 20 weeks.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said it understood the closure would cause inconvenience and disruption, but the work was "essential".

The Grade II listed structure carries the A163 over the River Derwent. Part of its parapet collapsed when it was hit in September last year.

Sandra Hills, from Bubwith Parish Council, said: "It looks like a beautiful countryside bridge, but actually it is our lifeline."

The official diversion being put in place is about 30 miles long and will take people from Bubwith to Holme upon Spalding Moor, then on to Hemingbrough and Barlby, before heading back eastwards to Bubwith through North Duffield.

James Mounfield, whose family have run the village butchers' shop since 1928, said the closure was "ridiculous" and would affect all aspects of his life.

"We've a lot of customers who pop down. It takes them 10 minutes to get here - people aren't going to drive all that way around, so they'll stop coming, simple as that.

"It could take 50 minutes to get children to school instead of 10 minutes, probably longer."

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said the official diversion catered for all vehicles including HGVs and that shorter routes were available for regular traffic.

The council previously said it understood the closure would cause inconvenience and disruption, but was essential to allow the historic bridge to be protected for the future.

Adam Holmes, the council's director of infrastructure and facilities, has said the crash caused major damage to the bridge, and highlighted some weaknesses.

He said repairs could not be carried out while the bridge was open.

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