Silver Jubilee Bridge
Silver Jubilee Bridge | |||||||||||||||
Location Map ( geo) | |||||||||||||||
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From: | Runcorn | ||||||||||||||
To: | Widnes | ||||||||||||||
County | |||||||||||||||
Lancashire • Cheshire | |||||||||||||||
Highway Authority | |||||||||||||||
National Highways | |||||||||||||||
Opening Date | |||||||||||||||
1961 | |||||||||||||||
Additional Information | |||||||||||||||
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On road(s) | |||||||||||||||
A557 | |||||||||||||||
The Silver Jubilee Bridge, (commonly known as the Runcorn Bridge, originally the Runcorn-Widnes Bridge) is the largest steel arch bridge in the UK, being considerably larger than the better-known Tyne Bridge at Newcastle.
It was opened in 1961, replacing the earlier Transporter Bridge just to the east. It was originally WS2, but was widened to S4 in 1977, when it gained the name of the Silver Jubilee Bridge. At this time the junction arrangements at the Runcorn end were remodelled into a trumpet-loop interchange to link up to the new Weston Point Expressway and Bridgewater Expressway.
It carries the A557 (formerly A533) across both the Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal. The main span is 1,082 feet (330 m) long and until the tolls were removed from the Erskine Bridge across the Clyde in 2006 it was the longest untolled road bridge in the UK.
In 2015 work began on the construction of the Mersey Gateway Bridge, a larger cable stayed structure that bypassed the existing bridge. The completion of the Mersey Gateway Bridge in 2017 enabled the immediate closure of the Silver Jubilee Bridge for refurbishment. It also saw tolls imposed on both bridges, albeit with heavily discounted fares for residents of the Halton borough.
The refurbishment work comprised:[1]
- Refurbishment of the entire steel arch, including strengthening numerous bracing members that had extensive corrosion.
- The replacement of a cable hanger that had shown evidence of potential early stage failure. The first time this has ever been undertaken.
- The repainting of the entire arch, removing the old paint system, undertaking steel repairs and applying a new multi-coat system on to the bare steel.
- The entire concrete road deck has been repaired, re-waterproofed and resurfaced.
- Re-configuration of the deck into a single vehicle lane in either direction, together with dedicated cycle lane. This allows the existing footbridge to be solely for pedestrian use.
- Both bridge approach structures (Widnes and Runcorn) have been refurbished and re-configured with single lane traffic and new, widened cycleway/footway verges.
- Runcorn Approach Viaduct deck has been repaired, re-waterproofing and resurfaced and installed with new carriageway joints.
- Widnes Approach Viaduct has been resurfaced with new carriageway joints.
- The existing Runcorn Approach Viaduct West (connecting into the Trumpet Loop) has been demolished. See Silver Jubilee South Junction for further details.
- Replacement of parapets
The bridge re-opened on 26th February 2021.
References
- ↑ Runcorn Town Labour (Facebook) (05.11.2020)