Ireland Bridge
| Ireland Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 53°51′01″N 1°50′30″W / 53.850293°N 1.84157°WCoordinates: 53°51′01″N 1°50′30″W / 53.850293°N 1.84157°W |
| Crosses | River Aire |
| Locale | Bingley |
| Maintained by | Bradford District Council |
| Characteristics | |
| Material | Dressed stone[1] |
| Number of spans | 7 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1686 |
Bingley's Ireland Bridge is a Grade II* listed structure[2] and a historically significant crossing point over the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England. It is now the main route between Bingley & the nearby villages of Harden, Wilsden & Cullingworth. The current bridge dates from 1686.[1]
The All Saints Parish Church and the Old White Horse Inn, a Coaching inn were constructed very close to the eastern bank and Bingley's modern town centre spread south from these beginnings.
Despite previous strengthening works, the bridge was deemed unfit for two-way traffic, and traffic lights were installed for a time at either end. These allowed only a single lane across for some time - disrupting local traffic at peak times.
In January 2010, Bradford Council closed the bridge completely, and commenced works to strengthen the bridge. These works resulted in the closure of Harden Road to vehicles over the bridge.[2][3] The works were originally due to take place in June 2009, but were postponed owing to the presence of rare bats roosting in the spans of the bridge.[4][5] Ireland Bridge reopened to two-way traffic in June 2010.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bradford Council - Description of grade II listed buildings in Bingley (PDF)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bradford Council website - Transport and Infrastructure - Work starts on Ireland Bridge
- ↑ Letter from Transport and Highways Service dated 7 April 2009
- ↑ Press Release from Bradford Council, released on 4 June 2009
- ↑ Winrow, Jo (1 June 2010). "Ireland Bridge, Bingley, to be open to traffic by 19 June". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ↑ City of Bradford Council Ireland Bridge website