Ethelfleda Bridge

In 1846, the Grand Junction Railway obtained an Act of Parliament authorising the construction of a bridge over the River Mersey at the Runcorn Gap. A time limit of seven years was imposed. The Grand Junction Railway amalgamated with several other companies to form the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). The seven-year time limit passed without construction taking place and the powers granted by the act lapsed. In 1861, the LNWR received Parliamentary approval to build a line crossing the Mersey from Aston southeast of Runcorn, to join the line from Crewe to Warrington at Weaver Junction, west of Widnes, where it met the line from Warrington to Garston at Ditton Junction. The line was…

]] The bridge carries a double-tracked railway across the River Mersey; it has been recognised as a Grade II* listed structure. The tracks are laid on a metal deck supported by top and bottom box-girder chords, carried on 8.5 m trusses. An engraved stone plaque on the northerly portal records that the main contractor was Brassey & Ogilvie and the ironworks were manufactured by Cochrane Grove & Co. Large portions of the original ironworks have been restored or replaced with new castings. The viaduct piers, bridge abutments and the bridge's central piers are of sandstone and the viaduct arches are of brick. Maintenance of the bridge poses challenges; as it is exposed to high winds, the…