A61 Harewood Bridge: Grade II-listed 18th-century bridge between Harrogate and Leeds set to reopen ahead of schedule after essential maintenance works

From around lunchtime on Friday (18 August) Harewood Bridge will fully reopen to vehicles after essential maintenance works have been completed ahead of schedule, originally planned for Thursday 24 August.

Leeds City Council along with construction partner Balfour Beatty have carried out waterproofing, resurfacing and foot path repair works.

Previously the council has carried out temporary repair patches to extend the longevity of the carriageway, but these repairs could no longer continue without fixing the underlining problem.

The works started on 26 July and lasted just over three weeks.

The historic Grade II-listed bridge carries the A61 between Leeds and Harrogate across the River Wharfe at Harewood.

The bridge sees 17,000 vehicles use it each day and the closure and essential works were planned to coincide with the school summer holidays, with reduced levels of traffic.

Re-opening the bridge ahead of the planned schedule will enable vehicles and bus services to resume back to normal without delay or further disruption.

An overnight closure will be required in September, to complete some specialist surfacing work.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for sustainable development and infrastructure, said: “I’m delighted to see Harewood Bridge re-open to vehicles after successfully completing the water proofing repairs and surfacing, almost a week ahead of schedule.

"I would like to thank people for their patience and apologise for any disruption during the works.

"Also, thank you to the team and contractors, for getting this important strategic route back open as quickly as possible.”