Bideford Bridge Collapse - 2nd February 1968

Bridge Section Demolished At Bideford

Work has started on the demolition of the damaged section of Bideford Bridge, which had yesterday been out of action a month following a partial collapse of arches near the western bank.
A spokeman for the civil engineering contractors, Thomas Fletcher and Co., said yesterday that work was well up to schedule.
Provided there are no snags in the construction of the steel girder platform that will be used to bridge the space where the damaged section once stood light traffic could be flowing across the bridge again next month. In readiness for demolition the damaged portion was separated from the remaining part of the bridge and also from  the west bank. A heavy weight suspended by crane quickly broke the road surface. The first archway, the one most seriously damaged, was next to go. Tons of masonry crashed into the River Torridge. Because of the limited space available, larger pieces have now to
be drilled into smaller sections before the debris can be lifted by crane and dumped into waiting lorries. The breaking up process is expected to take some days to complete.