The Mersey Flow Runcorn Bridge, Mersey River, Halton, Cheshie, North west England, UK - Mersey Gateway Bridge toll by Knight Architects
Image details
Contributor:
Tony Smith / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
2CB00F9File size:
40.4 MB (1.1 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
5472 x 2580 px | 46.3 x 21.8 cm | 18.2 x 8.6 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
8 August 2020More information:
The Mersey Gateway Bridge is a toll bridge between Runcorn and Widnes in Cheshire, England which spans the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal. The crossing, which opened in October 2017, has three traffic lanes in each direction and is approximately 1.5 km (1 mile) east (upstream) of the older Silver Jubilee Bridge. It forms part of a wider project to upgrade the infrastructure around the Mersey crossings that includes major civil engineering work to realign the road network, change and add tolling to the Silver Jubilee Bridge, and build new interchanges together with landscaping 9 km (6 miles) of highway After extensive site preparation, construction work began on 7 May 2014 and the bridge opened to traffic just after midnight on 14 October 2017. A 28.5 ha (70-acre) nature reserve was established around the bridge and the surrounding riverside, managed by the Mersey Gateway Environmental Trust, an independent charity tasked with promoting biodiversity, landscape, science, and educational opportunities The bridge has three towers that support a cable-stayed crossing over the river, while the southern approach creates a second bridge over the Ship Canal. The three towers are different heights: an 80 m (260 ft) central pylon, a 110 m (360 ft) pylon on the north side and a 125 m (410 ft) south pylon. During the Covid-19 lockdown period in 2020, an application by Halton Borough Council to suspend tolling operations was made to support key workers. This was rejected by the Department for Transport despite the broad support of local MPs in March and again in April 2020