Jackson Civil Engineering has completed the first phase in a project to replace a footbridge at Mytholmroyd in the Calder Valley, West Yorkshire.

On behalf of Calderdale Council and procured through YORcivil2, a team from Jacksons recently worked overnight using a 250t crane to lift the concrete slabs off the flatbed trucks they arrived on and lower them into position, one at a time. By midnight, both sections of the footbridge were in place over the River Calder.

Prone to flooding, Mytholmroyd experienced its highest recorded flood level on Boxing Day 2015, directly affecting 400 properties. The old bridge had fallen into disrepair over the years due to accumulative flood damage and it was removed by crane in three large sections for recycling.

Jacksons, who are overseeing the work, appointed Beaver Bridges as subcontractors for the job. Key challenges on the project include minimising traffic disruption, operating in an area where flash flooding is a real danger and working in tight proximity to an adjacent structure, the New Road Bridge, which is Grade II-listed.

In preparation for client handover in February 2024, the next stage of the works is to pour concrete at the point where both spans meet to create a smooth gradient for a walkway and to fine-tune the interface between the footbridge and the Grade II-listed structure it butts up to.

Senior Project Manager Darren Blank said: “The works have progressed extremely well and in line with the programme, despite the challenges faced with the tight environment and the urban nature of the work site.”