New Pooley Bridge wins national award

A recent £7m bridge in the Lake District has been named as the best civil engineering project in the North West of England.

The new Pooley Bridge was designed to reduce flooding risks in the village. 

The new steel structure, linking the two sides of Pooley Bridge on Ullswater, replaced the original 250-year-old stone bridge which was washed away in 2015. The village was cut off from one of the main roads in the Lake District.

The crossing is the first of its kind in the country. The bridge was designed as a single span structure to avoid the need for piers in the river, thereby reducing the flood risk and making the structure more flood resilient. 

Around 80 tonnes of stainless steel has been used, 2,000 tonnes of concrete laid and 650 square metres of locally-sourced stone.

Councillor Keith Little, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that the new Pooley Bridge has been recognised with these well-deserved national awards.

“The council and our partners have worked hard to repair the widespread damage to our highways and structures following Storm Desmond and the new Pooley Bridge was one of the last major projects to be completed."

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