The position of the bridge and the M62 resulted from a study carried out in 1964 by Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Partners.

At that time, it would be five years before the M62 would cross the Pennines, and the Humber Bridge would not be given firm funding until the 1966 Kingston upon Hull North by-election in January 1966.

In the early stages an immersed tube tunnel was considered, which was thought to be too expensive.

A box girder design was not chosen due to recent accidents, and an inquiry by the Institution of Structural Engineers.

Bob Adams from Virginia and John Anderson from Portland Oregon worked on the bridge for Raymond Concrete Pile Company subsidiary.

[6] For the concrete, sand came from Pollington and also PFA from nearby coal power stations.

The A63 Caves Bypass and M62 Balkholme sections (built by Clugston Construction) had opened on 19 February 1976.

The Balkholme to Caves section was the first use on a UK motorway of continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP), which has no transverse joints.

In 2022, a partial failure of a joint on the eastbound carriageway was identified after it was discovered that increased vibration from traffic had started to damage the concrete under lane three and a bridge joint, which allows the carriageway to expand and contract with the weather.