Grosmont bridge: North York Moors National Park gives update on timescale for work

North York Moors National Park has issued an update on the 18th Century bridge at Grosmont which was badly damaged in a bus crash earlier this month.

The national park authority has been working with North Yorkshire Council to reopen Grosmont Bridge following the road traffic accident on August 3.

The bridge is an 18th Century grade II listed structure maintained by North Yorkshire Council.

Due to its special status, careful restoration and re-building work needs to be undertaken after the accident demolished the stone parapet wall.

Damage caused to stonework at Grosmont Bridge after a road traffic accident.

With the winter months approaching and a 16-mile diversion proposed, negotiations have taken place between the National Park Authority’s Planning Department and North Yorkshire Council’s Highways and Transportation Department for a semi-permanent breeze block parapet wall to be built.

This will allow the bridge to reopen much quicker – the estimated time being in the next two months – with proper stone restoration work done spring 2025.

Annabel Longfield-Reeve, Senior Heritage and Conservation Officer at the North York Moors National Park Authority, said: “This three-arch sandstone bridge spans the River Esk and dates from around 1700.

"It’s an important historic feature of Grosmont and indeed the wider National Park, but principally it serves as an essential transport link for local communities of the Esk Valley.

“For this reason, the priority is to ensure the bridge is once again made safe for vehicles and pedestrians, with proper restoration by skilled stonemasons taking place at a later point.”

North Yorkshire Council said the village was still open and as welcoming as ever, with pedestrian access restored.