The stone bridge over Cogden Beck, near Grinton, was destroyed by torrential water carrying boulders and other debris during the floods of late July. It is part of the road linking Grinton and Leyburn in the Yorkshire Dales – and forms part of the cycle route for the UCI Road World Championship, which arrives in North Yorkshire in September.
North Yorkshire County Council’s engineers and contractors have been working round the clock to reconnect Dales communities ever since devastating floods hit the dales on 30th and 31st July.
At Grinton, the solution to a quick temporary repair has come in the form of column sections from an unused wind turbine. Two giant steel tubes, which are 2.25 metres in diameter and 32mm thick, have been lowered into the beck to form the basis of a temporary crossing while letting the water run through.
Cleveland Steel & Tubes, based near Thirsk, supplied North Yorkshire County Council with the two tubes. They had been fabricated for a mega wind turbine project in Scotland that was scrapped before construction.
Roy Fishwick, managing director of Cleveland Steel & Tubes said: "We were delighted when the council accepted our proposal to deploy steel tubes to repair the bridges.”
North Yorkshire county councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for highways, said: “The damage caused by the unprecedented rainfall in parts of Swaledale has caused unimaginable upheaval to communities in the area. We know how vital these roads and bridges are to everyday life for those living in the affected areas, so we are delighted to report we have managed to make so much progress in such a short space of time.”
North Yorkshire County Council intends to rebuild the traditional Dales masonry bridge next year.
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