User:The joy of all things/subpage 29
Holgate Bridge | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Holgate Bridge looking eastwards along the A59 into York | |
| Other name(s) | Iron Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Steel truss |
| Material | Steel and concrete |
| History | |
| Engineering design by | Handyside (Derby) |
| Opened | 1911 |
Holgate Bridge is a iron girder bridge in Holgate, York, England, which straddles the railway lines heading south out of the station. The bridge is set at a skew in comparison to the railway lines underneath, and carries the A59 road into, and out of, York city centre. The current bridge opened in 1911, and is the third bridge built at that location. During works carried out in the late 1980s when the East Coast Main Line was electrified, the bridge was raised by 12 inches (300 mm) to enable overhead line equipment to be installed underneath.
History[edit]
The current Holgate Bridge is the third such bridge at that location, and it carries the A59 road into and out of York city centre over the railway lines heading south-west from York railway station.[1] Installation of the bridge started in 1910, and consists of over 450 tonnes (500 tons) of steel and 350 cubic yards (270 m3) of concrete.[2][3] The 1911 bridge weighs 1,400 tonnes (1,500 tons), and is 109 feet (33.2 m) long.[4]
Due to the nature of the structure, the bridge is known locally as the Iron Bridge.[5][6] The creation of a new bridge occurred as the tram system was in expansion around the city around that time, and the bridge was too narrow for the trams to go across, so passengers had to de-tram at one end, walk across the bridge, and board another tram at the opposite end.[7]
During the electrification works on the East Coast Main Line (when overhead wires were laid out between Peterborough and Edinburgh), Holgate Bridge was jacked up to provide clearance underneath the bridge to enable the wires to be installed. Jacking the bridge up prevented having to lower the tracks which would have involved costly digging out works, and replacement with a new bridge would have more than double the cost of the jacking-up works (£410,000 in 1988 equivalent to £1,389,000 in 2023).[8] To lift the 1,400 tonnes (1,500 tons) bridge, twelve jacks (each with a capacity to lift 200 tonnes (200 long tons; 220 short tons)) were installed at each corner and along the length of the bridge, and due to the skew-nature of the bridge, special overhead bracing was needed to keep the bridge in alignment.[9][10]
When the line through York was electrified, the station area was remodelled, and the number of tracks that Holgate Bridge spanned was reduced, from seven to four.[11]
Further renovation and maintenance work was carried out on the structure in 2007, at a cost of £1 million (equivalent to £1,752,000 in 2023).[1][12]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Million pound upgrade for Holgate Bridge". Network Rail Media Centre. 25 January 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Semmens, Peter W. (1991). Electrifying the east coast route: the making of Britain's first 140 mph railway. Sparkford: Stephens. p. 115. ISBN 0-8505-9929-6.
- ^ "The Times Engineering Contract List". The Times. No. 39293. 8 June 1910. p. 18. OCLC 646880228.
- ^ Fenwick 1992, p. 228.
- ^ "Teenager in court over Sean Hamilton's death". York Press. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
...which happened at about 8.20pm near the Iron Bridge, Holgate...
- ^ "'Arrogant' motorist who was drug driving forced car to swerve". York Press. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
After police pulled Dougherty over between the Iron Bridge, Holgate, and the city centre....
- ^ Titley, Chris (24 February 2003). "Journey back to time of the trams". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Stephen (2 March 2020). "'There is no cause for alarm about British Rail's plans for Holgate Bridge...'". York Press. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Semmens, Peter W. (1991). Electrifying the east coast route: the making of Britain's first 140 mph railway. Sparkford: Stephens. p. 118. ISBN 0-8505-9929-6.
- ^ Dynes, Michael (21 September 1989). "Line's electrifying speed". The Times. No. 63505. p. 30. ISSN 0140-0460.
- ^ Fenwick 1992, pp. 228–229.
- ^ Dooks, Brian (29 January 2007). "Warning as bridge repairs hit city route- ProQuest". The Yorkshire Post. ProQuest 335281941. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
Sources[edit]
- Fenwick, T. H. (November 1992). "Electrification of British Railways' East Coast Main Line: Civil Engineering Works, Doncaster to Berwick". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport. 95 (4). London: Thomas Telford. ISSN 0965-092X.
External links[edit]
- A59 road - add Holgate Bridge in!
- York Racecourse railway station - add in
- Holgate, York - add in
