Nostalgia: Temporary bridge brings relief
THE road leading up to the River Ouse on the city side at Clifton is called Water End for good reason. When this picture was taken there was no way across at this point except by an obliging ferryman. York was being strangled by its traffic and it was decided the city had to have a new road crossing upstream to relieve congestion.
Here in May 1961 soldiers of the 38 Corps Engineer Regiment from Ripon pause to admire the outcome, a temporary Bailey Bridge they had almost finished. It was designed as a temporary answer to York’s congestion until a permanent spanning of the river could be constructed.
This was done within a couple of years. And when Clifton Bridge opened in October 1963, York residents discovered a new leisure activity, bridge tripping.