Concerns are now mounting over who will pay for the repair of Elland Bridge and how long it will take.
The bridge is owned by the Canal and River Trust and a spokeswoman said: “Our main priority at the moment is securing the bridge and trying to assess the extent of the damage. We are a charity so we do have limited resources but it is too early to say what the financial commitment may be.
“Anything that breaks we will repair but it may be done in partnership with Calderdale Council. It’s also possible to get Government funding but this isn’t a conversation we’ve had yet."
Calderdale Council leader Tim Swift earlier revealed that it will be difficult to set up suitable diversion routes due to the bridge’s location used as the main route for drivers travelling from Brighouse to Elland .
Clr Swift also said that extensive repairs are likely to be needed to the bridge so it’s highly likely it could remain closed for some time.
“It will continue to be closed for the foreseeable future”, he said. “Emergency services, as well as engineers from the council and the Canal and River Trust, who own the bridge, have been on-site assessing the damage and it’s likely that extensive repairs will be needed.
“Due to the location of the bridge it’s difficult to provide diversion routes, but we are working with our partners to identify a temporary solution.
“The collapse of the bridge at Elland, and the damage to the A646 in the Upper Valley means that only essential journeys should be made around these affected areas.
“We need to keep roads clear for emergency services and recovery vehicles.”
There is access from Brighouse via Elland Road and Park Road onto the bypass but not into Elland and the diversion to Elland is via the bypass and Stainland Road into West Vale.
