Boothferry Bridge Explained

Boothferry Bridge
Os Grid Reference:SE733262
Carries:A614 road
Crosses:River Ouse
Locale:Boothferry, East Riding of Yorkshire, England
Preceded:Ouse swing bridge
Followed:Ouse Bridge
Material:Steel
Number Spans:3
Piers In Water:12
Designer:Mott, Hay & Anderson
Engineering:Cleveland Bridge
Cost:£116,467 (1929)
Open:July 1929

Boothferry Bridge is a crossing over the River Ouse, between the East Riding and West Yorkshire, England, some north-west of Goole. The bridge was opened in 1929, replacing a ferry crossing immediately west of the bridge's location. The Act of Parliament for the building of the bridge in 1925, gave priority to river traffic. This situation still exists, though there have been some attempts to change priorities. On opening, it was the furthest crossing downstream of the river, cutting off the journey south to London from Kingston upon Hull. The M62 Ouse Bridge opened up to the east of Boothferry Bridge in 1976.

History

The bridge at Boothferry was built to replace the ferry which connected the hamlet of Booth with the south side of the Ouse.[1] The ferry was owned by the Bishops of Durham and Ripon, having been in operation since at least 1513, but was leased to several operators before the bridge was built.[2] [3] An Act of Parliament was granted in 1925 providing authority to construct the bridge and giving priority to river traffic.[4] An attempt was made in the 1980s to rescind the priority for river traffic. Construction began in January 1926, with the bridge opening in July 1929, becoming the furthest bridge over the River Ouse.[5] Before that, the furthest bridge downstream on the River Ouse was Selby toll bridge, some upstream of the Boothferry Bridge.[6] Opening of the bridge eased the pressure on the east-west traffic through the region, notably helping to alleviate some of the traffic across the toll bridge at Selby, and providing a shorter route to and from Hull, being only north-west of Goole.[7] [8] The journey from Hull to London was shortened by helping travellers to avoid going over the toll bridge at Selby. This continued until 1976, when the Ouse Bridge of the M62 opened, and then, in 1981, the Humber Bridge was opened.[9] [10]

The bridge is a steel girder structure which is long.[11] The construction was funded by five public bodies, the Ministry of Transport (£56,000), West Riding County Council (£33,600), East Riding County Council (£5,600), Hull City Council (£11,200), and Goole Urban District Council (£5,600), at a total cost of £112,000.[12] However, by the time the bridge opened in July 1929, the bridge had cost £116,467, and the approach roads had cost £72,000.[13]

Engineering of the bridge was carried out by Cleveland Bridge, to a design by the firm of Mott, Hay & Anderson.[14] The structure has six sections, with the section closest to the East Yorkshire side of the river (north bank), being able to swing open to give a width clearance of .[5] [15] Barges were able to be towed up river past this point two abreast (lashed together), until they reached Selby.[16] Boothferry Bridge is supported by 12 piers in the water, which are sunk to a depth of below the water level.[13] The vehicular width of the bridge is 20feet, with two 6feet sections for foot traffic on either side, making a combined width of .[17]

Almost immediately to the east of Boothferry Bridge is the Ouse Bridge, which was opened in May 1976, and carries the M62 over the River Ouse.[18] [19] [20] In the 1960s, before the M62 bridge was built, consideration was given to re-using an abandoned railway bridge over the River Ouse at Long Drax (from the Hull and Barnsley Railway), in an effort to alleviate the traffic flow over Boothferry Bridge.[21] [22] A major repair of the bridge was undertaken in 1979, when £1 million was spent on renovation works. On days when the bridge was closed completely to vehicular traffic, diversions were in place via the M62 bridge, but those that couldn't use the motorway (such as pedestrians) were taken on buses along the M62.[23] It was renovated and repaired again, in 2021, at a cost of £2.2 million.[24]

The bridge is the western limit of the Humber Estuary Special Area of Conservation.[25]

Popular culture

In 1972, a folk group, The Lonesome Travellers, recorded a song about the bridge.[26]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Booth and Boothferry . maps.nls.uk . 11 May 2022 . Use the slider on the lower left to toggle between modern day imagery and old maps.
  2. Book: Peach . Howard . Curious tales of old East Yorkshire . 2001 . Sigma Leisure . Wilmslow, England . 1850587493 . 147.
  3. Book: Sheahan . James Joseph . History and topography of the City of York, the East Riding of Yorkshire, and a portion of the West Riding; embracing a general review of the early history of Great Britain, and a general history and description of the county of York . 1857 . John Green . Beverley . 608. 5824605.
  4. News: Townend . Jon . Bridging a 30-year repair gap . 16 May 2022 . infoweb.newsbank.com . 15 March 2011. subscription.
  5. News: New Bridge Over The Ouse . The Times . 45156 . 20 March 1929 . Column D . 11. 0140-0460.
  6. Book: Porteous . J. Douglas . Planned to death : the annihilation of a place called Howdendyke . 1989 . Manchester University Press . Manchester . 0-7190-2831-0 . 111.
  7. Book: Allison . K. J. . The East Riding of Yorkshire landscape . 1976 . Hodder & Stoughton . London . 0340158212 . 228.
  8. Web site: PROVISIONS RELATING TO BOOTHFERRY BRIDGE (Hansard, 3 December 1981) . . 3 December 1981 . 16 May 2022.
  9. News: Charlton . Peter . From the archive . The Yorkshire Post . 21 April 2012 . 16. 0140-0460.
  10. News: Humber Bridge closes footpaths for 'an indefinite period' . 17 May 2022 . BBC News . 3 April 2021.
  11. Book: Pevsner . Nikolaus . Nikolaus Pevsner . Yorkshire : York and the East Riding . 2002 . Yale University Press . London . 0300095937 . 490 . 2.
  12. News: New West Riding Bridge . The Times . 44975 . 18 August 1928 . Column F . 7. 0140-0460.
  13. News: Boothferry Bridge . The Times . 45259 . 19 July 1929 . Column C . 19. 0140-0460.
  14. OBITUARY. SIR BASIL MOTT, Bart, CB, FRS, 1859-1938. . Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers . November 1938 . 10 . 1 . 129 . 10.1680/ijoti.1938.14582.
  15. News: Boothferry Bridge repairs prompt public consultation . 11 May 2022 . BBC News . 7 November 2010.
  16. Book: Lewis . David . River Ouse bargeman : a lifetime on the Yorkshire Ouse . 2017 . Pen & Sword . Barnsley . 978-1-47388-069-6. 132.
  17. Book: Stanley . Oliver . British bridges : an illustrated technical and historical record . 2011 . Thomas Telford . London . 978-0-7277-5069-3 . 333.
  18. News: Chartres . John . M62 'missing link' opens for business today . The Times . 59712 . 24 May 1976 . 4. 0140-0460.
  19. Book: East Riding and Northern Lincolnshire. . 2001 . George Philip . London . 0540081450 . 64.
  20. Mcdonagh . Briony . Preparatory report on Volume X: Howden and Howdenshire, part of the East Riding of Yorkshire series of the Victoria County History With notes on sources, a bibliography and recommendations . Victoria County History: East Riding of Yorkshire . 2007 . 30 . 10.13140/RG.2.2.10320.76809.
  21. Web site: Boothferry Bridge (Traffic Census) . hansard.parliament.uk . 16 May 2022 . 15 March 1961.
  22. Web site: Boothferry Bridge . hansard.parliament.uk . 16 May 2022 . 14 June 1961.
  23. Web site: Boothferry Bridge . hansard.parliament.uk . 16 May 2022 . 22 January 1979.
  24. News: Wood . Alex . 92-year-old swing bridge in Yorkshire to be closed this weekend as part of £2.2m upgrade . 16 May 2022 . The Yorkshire Post . 4 November 2021.
  25. Rowland . A. . Trim . L. . Ash . J. . The programme of flood defence works, Humber estuary . Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Maritime Engineering . March 2008 . 161 . 1 . 1 . 10.1680/maen.2008.161.1.1.
  26. Web site: Boothferry History - Asselby Parish Council . asselbyparishcouncil.co.uk . 16 May 2022.