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| Flood-hit Tadcaster bridge opens to reunite town | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A flood-hit bridge in North Yorkshire has reopened after being closed for more than a year. | |
| The listed 18th Century bridge over the River Wharfe in Tadcaster partially collapsed on 29 December 2015. | The listed 18th Century bridge over the River Wharfe in Tadcaster partially collapsed on 29 December 2015. |
| The town was cut in two to traffic, with the only crossing being a temporary footbridge built a year ago. | The town was cut in two to traffic, with the only crossing being a temporary footbridge built a year ago. |
| The reopening had been slightly delayed with "unusual and persistent" high river levels adding to the construction problems. | |
| However, North Yorkshire County Council said repairs of this kind would normally take about two years and it had been "extremely challenging" to get the bridge open. | However, North Yorkshire County Council said repairs of this kind would normally take about two years and it had been "extremely challenging" to get the bridge open. |
| Live updates and other stories from Yorkshire | Live updates and other stories from Yorkshire |
| Work to paint road markings on the new surface of the bridge section of the A659 was going on until minutes before the official ribbon-cutting. | |
| Patricia Ford, who lives in the town and was among crowds of onlookers, said: "The opening means the world, everybody is together again and it's an exciting day. | |
| "I hope we don't get flooded again." | |
| At the bridge: BBC reporter Phil Bodmer | At the bridge: BBC reporter Phil Bodmer |
| There was huge sense of anticipation in Tadcaster this morning ahead of the reopening of the bridge. | |
| By my calculation, it's been 401 days since the bridge partially collapsed following flooding caused by the Boxing Day storms. | By my calculation, it's been 401 days since the bridge partially collapsed following flooding caused by the Boxing Day storms. |
| Since then local residents have faced massive detours to simply get from one side of the town to the other. | Since then local residents have faced massive detours to simply get from one side of the town to the other. |
| A short time ago, the final stone was laid and now engineers resurfacing the carriageway have put the final layer of tarmac onto the road. | |
| Road traffic will be allowed to drive over the bridge for the first time about an hour after the official reopening. | |
| The bridge was repaired and widened with about £4m of funding, the council said. | The bridge was repaired and widened with about £4m of funding, the council said. |
| The last stone was put in place on the bridge's parapet wall earlier, it said. | The last stone was put in place on the bridge's parapet wall earlier, it said. |
| With the bridge closed, motorists have faced a long diversion along the A64 to reach the other side of town. | With the bridge closed, motorists have faced a long diversion along the A64 to reach the other side of town. |
| The Tadcaster bridge story | The Tadcaster bridge story |
| First stone bridge crossing the river built around 1200 | First stone bridge crossing the river built around 1200 |
| The present bridge was built around 1700 | The present bridge was built around 1700 |
| Parts of town hit on 26 December 2015 during severe winter floods | Parts of town hit on 26 December 2015 during severe winter floods |
| Bridge partially collapsed 29 December 2015 | Bridge partially collapsed 29 December 2015 |
| Temporary footbridge opened 12 February 2016 | Temporary footbridge opened 12 February 2016 |
| Repaired and widened bridge opened 3 February |