Boothferry Bridge is a crossing over the River Ouse, between the East Riding and West Yorkshire, England, some north-west of Goole. The bridge was opened in 1929, replacing a ferry crossing immediately west of the bridge's location. The Act of Parliament for the building of the bridge in 1925, gave priority to river traffic. This situation still exists, though there have been some attempts to change priorities. On opening, it was the furthest crossing downstream of the river, cutting off the journey south to London from Kingston upon Hull. The M62

Ouse Bridge Ouse Bridge may refer to: * Ouse Bridge, York, a historic bridge in the centre of the city of York, England * Ouse Bridge (M62), a bridge carrying the M62 motorway over the River Ouse near Goole, England * Ouse Bridge railway station, a short-lived ...

opened up to the east of Boothferry Bridge in 1976.

History

The bridge at Boothferry was built to replace the ferry which connected the hamlet of Booth with the south side of the Ouse. The ferry was owned by the

Bishops of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durh ...

and Ripon, having been in operation since at least 1513, but was leased to several operators before the bridge was built. An Act of Parliament was granted in 1925 providing authority to construct the bridge and giving priority to river traffic. An attempt was made in the 1980s to rescind the priority for river traffic. Construction began in January 1926, with the bridge opening in July 1929, becoming the furthest bridge over the River Ouse. Before that, the furthest bridge downstream on the River Ouse was

Selby toll bridge Selby Toll Bridge is one of three swing bridges in the town of Selby, North Yorkshire, England. A timber bridge over the River Ouse in the town was opened in to replace a ferry crossing that had existed since Medieval times. The bridge provide ...

, some upstream of the Boothferry Bridge. Opening of the bridge eased the pressure on the east-west traffic through the region, notably helping to alleviate some of the traffic across the toll bridge at Selby, and providing a shorter route to and from Hull, being only north-west of Goole. The journey from Hull to London was shortened by helping travellers to avoid going over the toll bridge at

Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...

. This continued until 1976, when the Ouse Bridge of the M62 opened, and then, in 1981, the Humber Bridge was opened. The bridge is a steel girder structure which is long. The construction was funded by five public bodies, the Ministry of Transport (£56,000), West Riding County Council (£33,600), East Riding County Council (£5,600), Hull City Council (£11,200), and Goole Urban District Council (£5,600), at a total cost of £112,000. However, by the time the bridge opened in July 1929, the bridge had cost £116,467 (), and the approach roads had cost £72,000. Engineering of the bridge was carried out by

Cleveland Bridge Cleveland Bridge over the River Avon is a grade II* listed building located in the World Heritage Site of Bath, England. It is notable for the unusual lodges that adorn each corner in a style that could be likened to miniature Greek templ ...

, to a design by the firm of Mott, Hay & Anderson. The structure has six sections, with the section closest to the East Yorkshire side of the river (north bank), being able to swing open to give a width clearance of . Barges were able to be towed up river past this point two abreast (lashed together), until they reached Selby. Boothferry Bridge is supported by 12 piers in the water, which are sunk to a depth of below the water level. The vehicular width of the bridge is , with two sections for foot traffic on either side, making a combined width of . Almost immediately to the east of Boothferry Bridge is the

, which was opened in May 1976, and carries the M62 over the River Ouse. In the 1960s, before the M62 bridge was built, consideration was given to re-using an abandoned railway bridge over the River Ouse at Long Drax (from the Hull and Barnsley Railway), in an effort to alleviate the traffic flow over Boothferry Bridge. A major repair of the bridge was undertaken in 1979, when £1 million was spent on renovation works. On days when the bridge was closed completely to vehicular traffic, diversions were in place via the M62 bridge, but those that couldn't use the motorway (such as pedestrians) were taken on buses along the M62. It was renovated and repaired again, in 2021, at a cost of £2.2 million. The bridge is the western limit of the

Humber Estuary The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between ...

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

Popular culture

In 1972, a folk group, ''The Lonesome Travellers'', recorded a song about the bridge.

References

External links

{{commons category, Boothferry Bridge, River Ouse, Boothferry Bridge
Boothferry Bridge on goole.uk.netImages of the Boothferry and Ouse Bridges showing their proximity
Bridges across the River Ouse, Yorkshire Bridges completed in 1929 Bridges in the East Riding of Yorkshire Road bridges in England 1929 establishments in England Selby