The Mersey Gateway

When the first road bridge between Runcorn and Widnes opened in 1961 (renamed the Silver Jubilee Bridge in 1977), it replaced the Widnes–Runcorn Transporter Bridge, a 19th-century steam-powered cable-truss transporter that carried four cars in 2½minutes across the Mersey. The replacement crossing was designed to carry 8,000vehicles per day; however, 50years later more than 80,000vehicles were using the through arch bridge and surrounding road network daily, ten times its expected capacity. A new crossing was therefore deemed both vital and necessary by Halton Borough Council. Moreover, it believed "better connectivity, more consistent journey times and improved accessibility, combined with…

After extensive site preparation, construction work began on 7 May 2014. The bridge opened to traffic just after midnight on 14 October 2017. The bridge has three single arranged towers that support harp design rigging. The three towers are different heights: an 80 m central pylon, a 110 m pylon on the north side and a 125 m south pylon. The deck is made from reinforced concrete with a maximum clearance of 23 m above the river. This scheme, which will help conserve important ecological sites such as the Astmoor salt marshes, is part of the 1600 ha Upper Mersey Estuary project that covers everything upstream of the Mersey Gateway Bridge as far as Warrington.