Derwent Bridge (Cockermouth)

This article is about Derwent Bridge in Cockermouth.
For other Derwent Bridges, see Derwent Bridge.

Derwent Bridge, known locally as "Gote Bridge", carries the A5086 over the River Derwent in Cockermouth.

When it was built in 1822, the structure had two arches, and was wide enough for an S2 carriageway with footpaths on either side. However, in the 1930s, to improve the river flow through the bridge, three relief arches were built on the northern side of the bridge.

Looking downstream towards the bridge

Upon classification in 1922, Gote Bridge carried the A595 into Cockermouth town centre. By the mid-1920s, the A594 was extended to Maryport, thus multiplexed over the bridge with the A595. The A594 multiplex ended in the late 1960s when the eastern terminus was moved from Penrith to Papcastle to accommodate for the A66.

By the 1990s, it was deemed that Gote Bridge would soon be unfit for purpose for the traffic demands that the A595 placed upon it. Therefore, the A595 was rerouted down a newly constructed western bypass for the town and now crosses the river at Papcastle Bridge. The A5086 was extended from Cockermouth town centre, over Gote Bridge, and up to Papcastle.

On 19th November 2009, floods caused structural damage to the bridge, causing it to be closed to all traffic for several months, with all traffic being diverted over Papcastle Bridge. The bridge reopened to pedestrians on 23rd December, but it wasn't until 24th March 2010 that it was reopened for vehicles.

Another flood on 5th December 2015 saw the bridge damaged and closed once again. Papcastle Bridge was once again used as a diversion, and the bridge reopened on 16th January 2016. Since then, many locals have called for the replacement of the bridge with one of a single span design in order to prevent future flooding, as the arches collected debris and disrupted the river's flow.