Tadcaster Bridge repair could cost £3 million and take up to a year

The reconstruction of the bridge which dramatically crumbled in the floods in Tadcaster will cost around £3 million and could take a year, a council has estimated.

North Yorkshire County Council said it has ruled out bringing in the military to build a temporary replacement for the 300-year-old stone structure, which succumbed to the pressure of the River Wharf last week.WATCH: Tadcaster Bridge collapses into River Wharfe

The town is now split in two, with residents having to take a 10-mile (16km) detour to get from one side to the other.

A spokesman said the council hoped the reconstruction would take place within a year and added that it was looking into building a temporary footbridge across the water.

A meeting of council highways managers, the military, Highways England and the Department for Transport agreed that a temporary road bridge is not an option given the span required, the constraints of the location and the fact that this would hamper the repair of the existing bridge.

Divers are due to carry out a further inspection of the structure this week.

County councillor Don Mackenzie, North Yorkshire's executive member forhighways, said:

The council said it is also aiming to stabilise the bridge further with concrete underpinning of the bridge's pier.

It said it wants to improve an existing pedestrian route across the river over a nearby viaduct and is also investigating the possibility of building a temporary pontoon bridge for people on foot.

The bridge in Tadcaster is just one of a number of main routes left damaged and causing disruption in Yorkshire.

At the weekend, councillors confirmed the main bridge in Elland, near Halifax, will have to be demolished and replaced and concerns continue over Linton Bridge, north of Leeds.