One of York’s busiest road bridges will be half closed for five weeks to allow maintenance work to be carried out.
Castle Mills Bridge will be down to a single lane in both directors for the roadworks.
The works on Castle Mills Bridge will be carried out on Tower Street, from Fishergate to Skeldergate Bridge. They are expected to take place between 1 March and 3 April for five weeks, weather/river levels permitting, finishing before the Easter holidays.
The works aren’t linked to the recent flooding events and have been scheduled to take place for many months.
This will include general painting and repairs to the bridge parapet railings, the removal of old paintwork, steelwork repairs and repainting.
Reduced to one lane
The dual carriageway traffic lanes in both directions will be reduced to one lane in each direction. The traffic lane reductions will be in place 24hrs a day for 7 days/week.
The available road width will be reduced at and approaching the Castle Mills Bridge in both directions for approximately 100m. Motorists are requested to be considerate to any cyclists in this section and to not attempt overtaking of cyclists, through the single lane working.
The pedestrian routes across the bridge will be redirected past the works using the closed traffic lanes.
The River Foss path and access steps at the Castle Mills Bridge will be closed whilst the works are undertaken.
Cllr Andy D’Agorne, Executive Member for Transport at City of York Council, said:
We urge residents to plan ahead, allow more time for journeys on these routes and consider alternatives and use public transport where possible. Delays are expected, so please avoid the area at peak times.
It will be the first time the parapets/ railings have been refurbished for around 20 years, which is the lifetime of the paint used on the bridges before restoration is needed.
Blue Bridge removed
Works on York’s Blue Bridge are also set to take place – once river levels have fallen. These will take place between the Blue Bridge Lane and New Walk (ie along the river Ouse riverbank side).
This will include a temporary bridge being installed next to the Blue Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists, to maintain the route whilst the works are carried out safely.
The Blue Bridge will be temporarily removed to allow refurbishment including repainting and general repairs.
