£92 million to deal with Selby's crumbling bridges

The projected cost of replacing Selby's crumbling Toll Bridge and fixing the A63 bridge has more than trebbled.

North Yorkshire Council is asking the Department for Transport to cover £89 million of a £92 million scheme that would see the Toll Bridge replaced and a significant repairs take place on the bypass bridge. The cost is nearly three times original estimates – the new total standing at over £92 million.

20 mph speed limits have been in force on the A63 bridge since safety concerns were raised in May when steel plates were discovered to have become 'detached'. This on top of the long-standing faulty hydraulics that have stopped the bridge from swinging open for river traffic since 2022.

The perilous state of Toll Bridge is more pressing, though, where all road traffic must now be stopped over the bridge every time a boat passes beneath as a result of damage sustained when it was struck by a boat.

Council documents predict around 1,250 stoppages per year could take place while the wait for repairs or replacement continues. Each stoppage causing the knock on of lengthy queues and congestion accross the town.