Bridge closure 'farcical' two years after crash

A bridge remains partially closed more than two years after it was struck by a vehicle, with one local councillor branding the situation "farcical".

On 9 November 2023, the A63 in East Yorkshire was closed in both directions when a lorry carrying a forklift truck hit the Dale Road bridge.

The road reopened once debris had been cleared, but restrictions were put in place for traffic using the Elloughton bridge. It still has one lane closed, with temporary traffic lights.

In a statement, National Highways said it was still carrying out damage assessments on the bridge. It did not provide a timescale for repairs.

Councillor Richard Meredith, who represents Dale ward on East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: "The incident itself caused Bedlam both on the A63 and villages that surround it - I myself was stuck it in.

"But the delays since have been farcical, ludicrous...

"Up to 18 months after the incident, I was repeatedly told by National Highways they did not have an engineer free to undertake a thorough assessment to enable them to design an appropriate scheme."

Meredith noted that over time grass and leaves had built up on the side of the road, making it "look like a scene out of Jumanji".

He said he was told in October last year that work to repair the bridge would begin within four to 26 weeks.

"That's such a wide amount of time," he said. "It's ridiculous. Totally unacceptable."

Meredith said "apathy" towards the temporary lights was also increasing.

"People have been seen ignoring the traffic lights when they are on red," he said.

"This is obviously extremely dangerous and I am aware of dashcam footage having been sent to Humberside Police to investigate."

In a statement, National Highways said: "We thank everyone for their patience while traffic management has been in place on the bridge.

"Assessments of the initial damage to the structure revealed additional complex issues which also need to be addressed to keep road users safe. Roadworks will remain while we conduct assessments of the issues we've found.

"The structure has been struck numerous times so this assessment did take longer as we needed to factor in the effects of previous damage."

The agency added people should "adhere to the traffic management in place".

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