Otley Bridge: Motorists hit with 24.3-mile diversions tonight as crane demolishes Leeds footbridge

Otley Bridge, which carries traffic over the River Wharfe, will be closed to traffic between 6pm and 5am tonight (Sunday, July 6 - Monday, July 7), to allow a crane to lift out the final bridge beams.

The work comes as part of ongoing plans to demolish and replace the bridge’s main footway after it fell into disrepair.

In a post to their Facebook page, the Leeds City Council-run team at Connecting Leeds said: “The crane will lift out the final bridge beams as part of the ongoing demolition work. This will require a night-time closure today (July 6), 6pm to 5am. Thanks for your patience as we complete this key stage.”

A signed 24.3-mile and 44 minute diversion route, mapped to take into account HGV traffic, will be in place overnight - other shorter routes are available depending on the vehicle type. Pedestrians will be able to use the new temporary footbridge.

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The new temporary footbridge was installed after the controversial felling of an ancient oak tree and will remain in place for the duration of the works.

Otley Bridge was previously closed over two nights between May 27-29 to enable the installation of concrete barriers and white lining works.