York’s Bridge

The confined site sat between a residential area, the Fingerpost pub and a triple SSSI, presenting environmental, technical and logistical challenges throughout. Great crested newts were present on site, nesting birds delayed tree removal, and bat surveys were required.

Outdated plans — the original design was 12 years old — and unexpected ground conditions forced significant on-site redesign, including a Severn Trent sewer discovered within the bridge footprint with its manhole cover on the line of the new retaining wall. Throughout, road access for the pub and local residents and pedestrian access to the canal towpath had to be maintained at all times.

To clear the site quickly, traditional newt trapping was replaced by trained sniffer dogs, supported by around 1,350m of exclusion fencing and purpose-built hibernacula for safe relocation, while towpath access was kept open on a floating pontoon and road closures held to two main periods. Rather than divert the Severn Trent sewer — a three-month lead — the team designed a bespoke reinforced-concrete bridging cover slab that preserved access to the manhole, saving significant time through close collaboration with Severn Trent and Walsall MBC.

The new bridge sits on replaceable rubber bearings that can be hydraulically jacked for maintenance, and its heaviest 76-tonne beam was placed by a 350-tonne crane in a critical, carefully-rigged lift.

Delivered by a core team of six alongside up to 25 mostly-local sub-contractors, the new bridge was completed and well received locally, with continuous access maintained for the Fingerpost pub, nearby cottages and canal towpath users throughout the works. The original brick arch bridge is retained for pedestrians and private access.