James Walker
Senior Engineer, North Yorkshire CouncilJames Walker is a Senior Engineer, working with the Asset Manager to develop and deliver schemes across the county's highways structures, including historic bridge assets. Acting as NEC4 Project Manager, he leads projects through planning, design and construction to deliver infrastructure improvements with a focus on keeping critical infrastructure safe, serviceable and in use.
My Sessions at Day 1
Wednesday 10 March 2027
Fore Gill Bridge Rebuild: A Sustainable Approach to Renewing Ageing Rural Infrastructure
Fore Gill Bridge is a historic masonry highways structure on a critical rural route between Swaledale and Arkengarthdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. On New Year’s Eve 2023, prolonged rainfall contributed to the collapse of an approach retaining wall, exposing several undocumented masonry arches that were nearing the end of their maintainable life.
This presentation explores how North Yorkshire Council Engineers responded to the failure and approached the sympathetic replacement of the ageing structure which involved the reconstruction of the traditional unreinforced masonry arch. The case study will examine why a masonry arch was selected over a modern alternative, and how this decision supported material reuse and preserved its historic character. It will also present wider lessons learned for asset owners managing the risks, costs, sustainability and stakeholder challenges associated with ageing infrastructure.
