Scarborough Bridge recognised for “excellence” at awards
York’s new Scarborough Bridge has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence at the ICE Yorkshire & Humber Civil Engineering Awards.
16 March 2020
York’s new Scarborough Bridge has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence at the ICE Yorkshire & Humber Civil Engineering Awards.
The annual awards, held by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), showcase the collective and individual achievements of civil engineers and civil engineering. Awards are made for civil engineering projects with a regional dimension in recognition of achievement, excellence or innovation in civil engineering.
The new bridge was delivered in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority through its CityConnect programme, aimed at encouraging more people to cycle and walk; City of York Council; and York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Enterprise Partnership (YNYER EP).
At 65-metres long the new bridge is three times as wide at 3.7metres, increasing access to more people and the new ramps and steps mean that it is accessible even at times that the river is in flood.
It’s constructed of weathering steel – the same as Gateshead’s famous statue, The Angel of the North – and gives a nod to York’s Viking heritage with the bridge’s ‘ribs’ in the style of a Viking longship.
Since summer 2019, the bridge has seen an increase in daily usage with a third more people travelling on foot and between 30% and 40% more people travelling by bike based on monthly figures, compared with the old bridge.
Cllr Manisha Kaushik, Deputy Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee said: “We’re delighted that the new Scarborough Bridge has been recognised by the Institution of Civil Engineers. We know encouraging more of us to travel by bike or on foot not only boosts people’s health and saves individual’s money, it also brings wider environmental and economic benefits, which is why we want to make cycling and walking a natural choice for short, everyday journeys.
“It’s fantastic to see that the new fully accessible bridge is already being used for more and more trips each day, and is a great example of how the partnership can deliver real benefits for people within the region.”
Deputy leader of the council and executive member for transport, Cllr Andy D’Agorne, said: “It’s great to see the new, upgraded Scarborough Bridge has been recognised for its fantastic design, ensuring it is now accessible for everyone.
“It is even better though to see hundreds more residents and visitors making advantage daily of this step-free, car-free route through our city.”
David Dickson, chair of YNYER LEP’s Infrastructure and Joint Assets Board said: “The LEP secured £1.5m from the Government’s Local Growth Fund to contribute towards the project, as it presented such a great opportunity to enhance a key access route. We’re pleased to see the bridge being so well-used, and recognised for its innovative design.”
The £4.4m project was led by City of York Council and supported by Network Rail, designers AECOM, and contractors AmcoGiffen.
It has meant that this river crossing has been able to remain in use even when river levels have been high as evidenced last month. The new river crossing has useable even when river levels were high over the last month. The previous footbridge would have been inaccessible for most of February.
Factors taken into account in securing the ICE award included value and impact on society, sustainability, health safety and welfare, quality of design, innovation and best practice, difficulty and response, collaboration and excellence in delivery.