AN HISTORIC bridge has reopened in Monk Fryston, 18 months after closing for repairs.

The Lumby Dock Railway Bridge dates back to the early 1900s and was closed in November 2012 after corrosion was found during a routine inspection.

Workmen dismantled and removed the bridge piece by piece, with a 1,000 ton crane brought to the village to lift new concrete sections into place, while some of the bricks from the old bridge have been re-claimed and used to build a wall on the site.

About 40 people, including a local cycling group, attended the official reopening of the bridge on Monday, by Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty.

Mr Adams said: "I am pleased that the project has gone smoothly. I visited the site early in the year when work started and it is a pleasure to see the completion of the work. There will be a need to do work on other bridges in the area as some of our railways are electrified so it is reassuring to see that this project has run smoothly."

Work was mainly done overnight to avoid excessive traffic build-up, and Jimmy Kitchen from Network Rail thanked local residents for their patience while the work took place.

The bridge is now open to traffic but is closed to HGVs, and the temporary footbridge brought in while the work was being done will be lifted out by a 500 ton crane in coming weeks.