Cawood Bridge

Cawood Bridge is a swing bridge which spans the River Ouse. It was opened on 31 July 1872 to replace the ferry, and is located about half way between Naburn and Selby. It is the only bridge from the village Cawood that crosses the river.

The bridge is the responsibility of North Yorkshire County Council

Operations

Cawood Bridge has a weight limit of 7.5 tons. CCTV cameras are installed to monitor traffic not adhering to the weight limit or red lights, and allow officials to see traffic in all directions. It is the policy of North Yorkshire County Council to prosecute any overweight vehicle, or vehicle jumping the red lights, caught on CCTV. Previous fines have been as much as £900.

Crossing vehicles used to be charged a toll, but this system has since been scrapped.

The bridge has experienced numerous problems in the past, mainly due to its age. It has been plagued with issues such as the locking pin falling out of place, cracks forming in the supporting structure, and frequent jamming of the swing mechanism, which has in the past caused heavy traffic delays and massive tailbacks.

Close to collapse

In October 2003 the bridge was closed for a period of 5 days for urgent repair work, due to it being near to collapsing after a vehicle collided with a safety barrier.

Later inspection discovered that the York end of the bridge was about to fall off due to three large cracks in one of the supporting steel plates, which ran the full length of the bridge. River traffic was halted, and new plates were fitted within hours, as a temporary measure.

Permanent repairs involved a steel plate, twice the thickness of the original, being fitted along the entire deck.