Description and History of Site:-
The bridge for the A1(M) was built in 1961 in advance of the construction of the motorway it crosses the Tees at the site of the Merrybent railway bridge which was demolished some years earlier. It is of massive utilitarian appearance though the motorists never see it as they drive over it. The three spans one of 29.26m and two of 23.77m each have eighteen precast prestressed concrete main beams with an in-situ concrete deck. These are supported on the concrete abutments and piers which are founded on concrete piles driven over 10m down through the bed of the river and into the limestone bedrock.

This section of the A1(M) follows the route of the line of the former Darlington and Merrybent Railway

Further Reading and References:-
Morris, C H. Bridges over the Tees. Research Report No 7. Cleveland Industrial Archaeology Society, 2000.

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Key Words :- river road bridge concrete

Viewing the Site :- Can be viewed from the public footpath (Teesdale Way) that passes under the bridge

Address :- A1(M), Stapleton, Darlington, North Yorkshire, DL2 2RA
Grid Ref :- NZ 24602 13399
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.515300 , Long -1.621494
Local Authority :- Richmondshire District Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - North Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Site Dates :- 1961 -
Record Date :- 19 January 2016

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Charles Morris