Durham County County Council has announced that New Elvet Bridge will reopen in October 2021. The bridge has been closed to all traffic since July last year to allow essential repairs to be carried out to make it structurally sound.
Major progress has been made and the central span of the bridge has now been lowered back into position, allowing the project to move into the final phases.
As work has progressed, it has become apparent that some additional concrete repairs are required, and with contractors Balfour Beatty working 6 days a week it is expected the bridge will reopen at the end of October, in time for Lumiere 2021 (November 18th to 21st).
Alan Patrickson, Durham County Council’s corporate director for neighbourhoods and climate change, said: “This is a complex civil engineering project and it is really important for the city as it is a vital link.
This is welcome news for river users, with rowers having had their training outings limited to around 1000 metres since last September, and the Prince Bishop river cruiser being unable to operate, while associated closures under the bridge for pedestrians and cyclists have severely restricted coaching.
River access continues to be available on Sundays, allowing both days of Durham Regatta (June 12th and 13th) to go ahead, although the course length for Saturday has had to be shortened by 50 metres to allow crews to turn beyond the finish line.