A small section of the Runcorn Widnes bridge looked at from underneath the Runcorn side
The Silver Jubilee Bridge crosses the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal at Runcorn Gap between Runcorn and Widnes in Cheshire, England. It is a compression arch suspended-deck bridge (or through arch bridge) which was opened in 1961 and widened in 1975–77. It carries the A533 road and a cantilevered footway. The bridge is a grade II listed building. The new bridge had to allow the passage of shipping along the Manchester Ship Canal. Many ideas were considered, including a new transporter bridge or a swing bridge. These were considered to be impractical and it was decided that the best solution was a high-level bridge upstream from the railway bridge. This would allow the least obstruction to shipping and would also be at the narrowest crossing point. The first plan for a high-level bridge was a truss bridge with three or five spans, giving a 24 feet (7 m) dual carriageway with a cycle track and footpaths. This was abandoned because it was too expensive, and because one of the piers would be too close to the wall of the ship canal. The next idea was for a suspension bridge with a span of 1,030 feet (314 m) between the main towers with a 24 feet (7 m) single carriageway and a 6 feet (2 m) footpath. However aerodynamic tests on models of the bridge showed that, while the bridge itself would be stable, the presence of the adjacent railway bridge would cause severe oscillation. The finally accepted design was for a steel arch bridge with a 30 feet (9 m) single carriageway. The design of the bridge is similar to that of Sydney Harbour Bridge but differs from it in that the side spans are continuous with the main span rather than being separate from them. This design feature was necessary to avoid the problem of oscillation due to the railway bridge. The main span measures 1,082 feet (330 m) and each side span is 250 feet (76 m)
Size: 5459px × 3639px
Location: Runcorn Halton Cheshire England
Photo credit: © John Hopkins / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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