Runcorn bridge demolition

[WHBM]

I was on Runcorn rail station platform yesterday afternoon, waiting for the train back to London, and well in hand right alongside was the demolition of the dual carriageway approach viaduct to the 1960s Runcorn Bridge. This viaduct : https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3399317 ... 312!8i6656

Big job, the A557 underneath is closed as well, covered in a timber protection mat, and multiple high reach excavators in use breaking it up. Seems a shame to waste this quite recent infrastructure. I see there is going to be a roundabout instead. https://www.runcornandwidnesworld.co.uk ... .13389911/ Was the demolition really necessary ? What price network resilience.

[Rambo]

Seems a lot of cost and effort. But seeing as it's now secondary to the new bridge i can understand simplifying the approaches.

[mikehindsonevans]

If it gets rid of the suicidal bend, then I am all in favour.

[WHBM]

If it gets rid of the suicidal bend

I presume this is what the professional members of the site would term a Trumpet … !

[Bendo]

From the station, its pretty huge overpowering ugly mess that takes up a huge area of potentially prime land in an town that is pretty much a dump.

Removing it presents huge opportunities if they make good use of the freed up space.

Not sure why they took so long to decide to do it though. They should have started as soon as the bridge was closed rather than waiting over a year. The bridge refurb is pretty much done but now there is no roads for it to reopen.

There some renders of the plans here
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/li ... e-17280537

[Bryn666]

I was on Runcorn rail station platform yesterday afternoon, waiting for the train back to London, and well in hand right alongside was the demolition of the dual carriageway approach viaduct to the 1960s Runcorn Bridge. This viaduct : https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3399317 ... 312!8i6656

Big job, the A557 underneath is closed as well, covered in a timber protection mat, and multiple high reach excavators in use breaking it up. Seems a shame to waste this quite recent infrastructure. I see there is going to be a roundabout instead. https://www.runcornandwidnesworld.co.uk ... .13389911/ Was the demolition really necessary ? What price network resilience.

The old bridge is being repurposed as a local traffic link with public transport priority.

The trumpet therefore serves no purpose for this goal and can be removed.

The slip road to the proposed roundabout is the original 1961 approach road and it used to start at a roundabout so the road has actually gone full circle.

[the cheesecake man]

The slip road to the proposed roundabout is the original 1961 approach road and it used to start at a roundabout so the road has actually gone full circle

very clever!

[Bendo]

Came across some drone footage on YouTube, doesn't look too far off completion now https://youtu.be/n0tkcQgRles

[Barkstar]

Came across some drone footage on YouTube, doesn't look too far off completion now https://youtu.be/n0tkcQgRles

Interesting, as my partner's family live near there. I do wonder just how legal his flights are though.

[hoagy_ytfc]

I do wonder just how legal his flights are though.

Assuming he doesn't trouble the traffic in/out of Speke, why might one care?

[fras]

One has to ask how maintenance and repair of the old bridge is to be financed. It will be tolled, but the intention seems to be to stop people from using it, other than locals, by making it hard to get to. So will the tolls be sufficient when most people will be crossing for free ? Will the bus companies be paying a toll for every crossing ? I suspect the tolls from the new bridge will be used, and any promise of toll elimination when the bridge is paid for will be quietly dropped

[Barkstar]

I do wonder just how legal his flights are though.

Assuming he doesn't trouble the traffic in/out of Speke, why might one care?

There are a lot of regulations regarding drones and flying over built-up areas and near buildings are just two he might be in breach of. He was outside the restricted area for the approach to Liverpool Airport but not by great deal. As for caring you could make that argument about many things society has deemed illegal - I don't care if someone does 140mph on an empty motorway or has the odd toke on a weekend but it is still breaking the law.

[Bryn666]

One has to ask how maintenance and repair of the old bridge is to be financed. It will be tolled, but the intention seems to be to stop people from using it, other than locals, by making it hard to get to. So will the tolls be sufficient when most people will be crossing for free ? Will the bus companies be paying a toll for every crossing ? I suspect the tolls from the new bridge will be used, and any promise of toll elimination when the bridge is paid for will be quietly dropped

Given the bridge is being extensively repaired as we speak I don't think maintenance will be a major concern for the 25 year period the tolls are expected to be in place.

Although I suspect that as moves to decarbonise transport will be well and truly in full swing by 2045 the tolls will remain permanently.

[Rambo]

I see both bridges are shown as the A533 on modern maps but seeing as the old one has been shut is this going to be renumbered when it opens? i see most new signage approaching the new bridge on the Runcorn side doesn't give the road number at all https://www.google.com/maps/@53.341083, ... 312!8i6656 it's just listed as Runcorn town centre even though all maps i see it still listed as the a533. I don't see why it couldn't be renumbered to continue to A558 to Runcorn and meet up with the A557 Weston Point expressway. The old bridge itself could take a new B number or be unclassified.

[Barkstar]

The A533/A577 Expressway is now open as a through route with the completion of the new roundabout https://hbcnewsroom.co.uk/major-road-se ... p-forward/
I assume there will be some changes to the road numbering as the A533 did use the old bridge but now uses the new one. Seems they hope to get the Silver Jubilee bridge itself open this autumn.

[KeithW]

Came across some drone footage on YouTube, doesn't look too far off completion now https://youtu.be/n0tkcQgRles

Interesting, as my partner's family live near there. I do wonder just how legal his flights are though.

As long as he has had the CAA training and got a license and doesnt intrude on airways there should be no problem. He seems to at about the max height allowed (400 ft). Anything low enough to hit him would be too close to the bridge.

[jackal]

Came across some drone footage on YouTube, doesn't look too far off completion now https://youtu.be/n0tkcQgRles

Interesting, as my partner's family live near there. I do wonder just how legal his flights are though.

As long as he has had the CAA training and got a license and doesnt intrude on airways there should be no problem. He seems to at about the max height allowed (400 ft). Anything low enough to hit him would be too close to the bridge.

There's a bit more to it than that. For instance they must not be flown over or within 150m of any 'congested area', this being 'any area of a city, town or settlement which is substantially used for residential, industrial, commercial or recreational purposes'. Many Youtube videos seem clearly to be in contravention of such regulations.

[Phil]

One has to ask how maintenance and repair of the old bridge is to be financed. It will be tolled, but the intention seems to be to stop people from using it, other than locals, by making it hard to get to. So will the tolls be sufficient when most people will be crossing for free ? Will the bus companies be paying a toll for every crossing ? I suspect the tolls from the new bridge will be used, and any promise of toll elimination when the bridge is paid for will be quietly dropped

Like the bridges over the Severn (M4 & M48) or the two bridges over the Forth at Queensferry, I believe that BOTH the Runcorn bridges will be administered by the same authority. Tolls revenue from each bridge will thus be pooled and can be spent on either - though given one bridge is new and the 1961 bridge has just been heavily refurbished most of the toll revenue will be to pay off the construction costs of the new bridge (HM Government refused to fund it so the local authorities had to create a new organisation which could borrow the money from commercial banks).

As for bus passengers - it is extremely unlikely that scheduled local bus services (as opposed to long distance coach services) will be made to pay any toll to transit the bridge as local authorities are keen to push public transport use - plus they control the bridge authority so have the power to make sure such vehicles are excluded from the tolling legislation / by-laws

[Rambo]

I walked over the Silver Jubilee bridge recently. Most of the old road signs have been removed but this blue bordered example (in very good condition) still exists hanging aloft on one of the girders.

[Barkstar]

Halton Council had predicted the Silver Jubilee Bridge would reopen at the end of October. But I had a brief chat with a couple of workmen shifting some traffic cones connected with road closures to remove the old approach road they said it will be February now. Seems they've just found an issue with corrosion in the parapets, given the scale of the job might we have expected a better survey in the first place?

They've opened a short section of link road over in Widnes. You can now turn west off the first RA (A557 Jct) off the new bridge. It's a great design. A two lane exit which almost immediately becomes a left or right turn depending on the lane you are in. All good except the lanes are separated by a narrow curb right from the exit off the RA. Never seen the likes, something will be over that curb very soon I'm sure.