Silver Jubilee Bridge
The Silver Jubilee Bridge crosses the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal at Runcorn Gap between Runcorn and Widnes in Cheshire, England.
Silver Jubilee Bridge
Other name(s) Runcorn Widnes Bridge
Carries Road traffic and pedestrians
Crosses River Mersey Manchester Ship Canal
Locale Runcorn Gap between Runcorn and Widnes
Designer Mott, Hay and Anderson
Design Compression arch suspended-deck bridge
Material Steel
Total length 1,582 feet (482 m)
Width 54 feet (16 m)
Height 285 feet (87 m)
Longest span 1,082 feet (330 m)
Number of spans 1
Beginning date of construction 25 April 1956
Opening date 21 July 1961
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.
History
Until 1868, when Runcorn Railway Bridge was opened, the only means of crossing the Mersey at or near Runcorn Gap were by fording or by ferry. Before that the lowest crossing of the river had been the road bridge at Warrington. The first bridge to carry vehicular traffic across Runcorn Gap was the Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge which opened in 1905. This was an inefficient means of transport and it had become inadequate for the amount of traffic using it before the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1946 the Ministry of Transport agreed that the transporter bridge should be replaced when sufficient funds were available. Mott, Hay and Anderson were appointed as consultant engineers.