A historic bridge in Yorkshire has re-opened to vehicles after essential maintenance works were completed ahead of schedule.
The Grade II listed Harewood Bridge carries the A61 Leeds to Harrogate Road across the River Wharfe at Harewood and is used by thousands of vehicles every day.
Leeds City Council said the re-opening last Friday (18 August) after Balfour Beatty carried out waterproofing, resurfacing and footway repair works was earlier than the original date of this Thursday (24 August).
It added that an overnight closure will be required, probably in September, to complete some specialist surfacing work.
The council said it previously carried out temporary repair patches to extend the longevity of the carriageway, but these repairs could no longer continue without fixing the underlying problem.
Executive member for sustainable development and infrastructure Cllr Helen Hayden said: ‘I’m delighted to see Harewood Bridge re-open to vehicles after successfully completing the waterproofing repairs and surfacing, almost a week ahead of schedule.
‘I would like to thank people for their patience and apologise for any disruption during the works. Also, thank you to the team and contractors, for getting this important strategic route back open as quickly as possible.’
The council said replacement of the waterproofing will lead to benefits such as an increased reliability of journeys and reduction in congestion caused by unplanned emergency closures for carriageway and a reduced risk of accidents caused by potholes.
The works started on 26 July and were planned to coincide with reduced traffic levels during the school summer holidays.
