Key milestone in repair of historic Calderdale bridge damaged by floods

Elland Bridge as it looked in April when engineers started removing stonework as part of work to dismantle it.

Pedestrians and cyclists will soon be able to use the newly rebuilt Elland Bridge ahead of its anticipated full reopening to traffic later this month.

The bridge over the River Calder in Elland has been closed for more than a year after it started to collapse following the floods.

A temporary footbridge was put in place while the lengthy task of repairing the Grade II listed bridge began.

Part of the new Elland Bridge arch being lifted into place back in September.

Calderdale Council leader Tim Swift said: “Rebuilding Elland Bridge has been a complex and careful process. The outcome will be a much stronger bridge for Elland, which retains the historic features of the original but with much greater resilience against any future flooding.”

The majority of the original stones from the 1811 bridge were saved and have been reused on the new bridge by a specialist stonemason as part of the work financed through the Department for Transport flood recovery fund.

Graham Ramsden, project manager for the Canal and River Trust, said: “We know how important the bridge is locally so this is a really significant moment with the full opening to traffic also just around the corner.”

Park Road will be temporarily closed from midnight on Friday until midnight on Monday at the latest while the temporary footbridge and a second temporary service bridge are removed.