Decision details

North Yorkshire Council intends to enter an agreement with landowners Stephen Martin Gill and John Robin Marris and Elaine Marris the for the dedication of approximately 560m2 area of land encompassing Smeaton Bridge, Womersley for highway purposes pursuant to section 72 of the Highways Act 1980. The land is to be used to form embankments on the elevations of the bridge to replace the existing structure which has partially failed and allow for improvements to the road.

A partial collapse of the wingwall retaining the highway occurred in March 2023 and a temporary repair was carried out using concrete interlocking blocks to retain the area, which requires permanent remediation. Formation of a embankments will prevent ongoing maintenance/repair costs and stabilise the full extent of the structure. It is considered that the construction period for the embankments would be similar or shorter than a take down and rebuild of the structure. However, this option will also allow for the road to be widened to comply with highway standards and therefore improve safety of the road.

Rebuild of the failed section of the wall was considered, however this option would incur long-term maintenance costs, particularly if other areas of the wall were to fail. This option would also not allow for improvement of the road.