A resilient effort to repair a flood-hit bridge which connects communities in the Yorkshire Dales is complete.

Cogden South bridge, on the C106 near Grinton Moor, was one of two bridges destroyed by catastrophic flooding in 2019. Cogden North bridge, on the B6270 Richmond to Grinton road, reopened in November.

In the space of one night, flooding destroyed land and property and the two bridges were washed away. However, the County Council worked around the clock to build temporary roads and bridges at both locations.

County Councillor Yvonne Peacock, member for the Upper Dales, said: “I am delighted to see Cogden South reopened which acts as a vital link to our rural communities for residents and visitors alike.

“This winter has proved challenging but our highways teams battled the elements to get the bridge open as soon as possible. The new bridge will serve communities for years to come.”

Highways teams worked tirelessly to clear the damage caused by the flooding to allow surveys to be carried out.

The Covid-19 pandemic posed many challenges with operatives having to adapt to observe all Government guidelines on safe social distancing. The stone was procured four months in advance of the works to avoid delays in the supply chain.

The bridge was completely washed away, smashing the stone and making it unusable. The new stone has the same texture, strength, size and colour to withstand extreme weather. It is built to its original size.

County Councillor Don Mackenzie, Executive Member for Access, added: “It’s great to see a key route into the Yorkshire Dales back open after months of extremely hard work. The arch has been built in a traditional manner but reinforced to withstand a very similar force of water which caused the original structure to wash away.

“As with any masonry bridge there was a great deal of skill in cutting the stones to the right sizes and building the arch. Our highways teams have done an incredible job, even overcoming Covid-19 restrictions and working through severe winter weather.”

Grinton and Ellerton Abbey Parish Council has been raising funds to carry out work to stabilise the becksides of the village green and parking area to prevent more flooding in the future.

Geraldine Coates, Chair of the Parish Council, said: “It is very welcome news that the much-anticipated Cogden South road bridge has reopened and the vital road link from Swaledale to Leyburn has been reinstated. It represents another huge step to recovery from the devastating flooding in July 2019.”