78-786: The Silver Jubilee Bridge (originally the Runcorn–Widnes Bridge or informally the Runcorn Bridge ) crosses the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal at Runcorn Gap between Runcorn and Widnes in Halton , England. It is a through arch bridge with a main arch span of 361 yards (330 m). It was opened in 1961 as a replacement for the Widnes–Runcorn Transporter Bridge . In 1975–77
156-598: A cantilevered footway providing an alternative crossing to a ferry. In 1905 the now demolished Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge opened and took cars and passengers via a cable car. The Silver Jubilee Bridge , completed in 1961, is immediately adjacent. East of Warrington, the M6 motorway crosses the river and the Manchester Ship Canal on the Thelwall Viaduct . When the viaduct opened in 1963, it
234-432: 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 an 8 yards (7 m) dual carriageway with a cycle track and footpaths. This
312-677: A tidal bore from Hale as far upstream as Warrington. On 7 December 2022, the Liverpool City Region mayor announced cooperation between the City Region and K-water of South Korea , who built and operates the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station , in order to construct a similar operation on the River Mersey. The river gave its name to Merseybeat , developed by bands from Liverpool, notably
390-552: A boundary' and ēa , 'a river'. The Mersey was possibly the 'border river' between Mercia and Northumbria . Its Welsh name is Afon Merswy . Prior to Anglo-Saxon conquest of the region, the river was almost certainly known by a Celtic name - recorded by Ptolemy as "Seteia" (as the Southern border of the Brittonic " Setantii " tribe). "Seteia" and "Setantii" both lack clear Celtic roots, leading some to suggest that this
468-721: A day, and there was frequent congestion. In order to alleviate this, a further crossing was built, known as the Mersey Gateway Bridge . This is a six-lane toll bridge to the east of the Silver Jubilee Bridge that opened on 14 October 2017. Following the opening of the Mersey Gateway, the Silver Jubilee bridge was immediately closed to vehicles for refurbishment, after which it reopened with tolls applied to both bridges. It reopened, also as
546-543: A landscape, usually by bridging a river valley or other eroded opening in an otherwise flat area. Often such valleys had roads descending either side (with a small bridge over the river, where necessary) that become inadequate for the traffic load, necessitating a viaduct for "through" traffic. Such bridges also lend themselves for use by rail traffic, which requires straighter and flatter routes. Some viaducts have more than one deck, such that one deck has vehicular traffic and another deck carries rail traffic. One example of this
624-494: A light shade of green. The main arch is 361 yards (330 m) long and each side arch measures 83 yards (76 m). During its construction 720,000 rivets were used. Its height over the river bed is 285 feet (87 m) and the headroom over the ship canal is 80 feet (24 m). During its construction 5,900 tons of steel were used and 7,500 tons of concrete. The bridge requires constant repainting, with each coat using 6,000 imperial gallons (27,300 L) of paint. On
702-459: A long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide valley, road, river, or other low-lying terrain features and obstacles. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via meaning "road", and ducere meaning "to lead". It is a 19th-century derivation from an analogy with ancient Roman aqueducts . Like
780-512: A quarry it owned in Scotland for construction of the quays. Birkenhead grew quickly in the 19th century following the introduction of steamships , the earliest being the wooden paddle steamer Elizabeth in 1815. Docks were developed along with a shipbuilding industry , flour milling and soap manufacture on the river's Cheshire bank. Seaforth Dock , a freeport on the Liverpool side of
858-607: A repurposed rail viaduct provides a garden promenade on top and workspace for artisans below. The garden promenade is called the Coulée verte René-Dumont while the workspaces in the arches below are the Viaduc des Arts . The project was inaugurated in 1993. Manhattan's High Line , inaugurated in 2009, also uses an elevated train line as a linear urban park . In Indonesia viaducts are used for railways in Java and also for highways such as
SECTION 10
#1732771846221936-658: A toll bridge in February 2021. 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, with the lowest crossing of the river being 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
1014-632: A toll bridge, to all traffic on 26 February 2021 with a single lane of vehicle traffic in each direction and a new cycle and footpath. The road network on the Runcorn side of the bridge was reconfigured. The West Viaduct, also known as the "Trumpet Loop", was demolished and replaced with a roundabout, with the land recovered from the viaduct used for new leisure and retail space. Notes Citations Sources [REDACTED] Media related to Silver Jubilee Bridge at Wikimedia Commons River Mersey The River Mersey ( / ˈ m ɜːr z i / )
1092-496: A tourist attraction offering cruises that provide an overview of the river and surrounding areas. Water quality in the Mersey was severely affected by industrialisation, and in 1985, the Mersey Basin Campaign was established to improve water quality and encourage waterside regeneration. In 2009 it was announced that the river is "cleaner than at any time since the industrial revolution" and is "now considered one of
1170-659: Is a major river in North West England . Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria . For centuries it has formed part of the boundary between the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire . The Mersey starts at the confluence of the River Tame and River Goyt in Stockport . It flows westwards through south Manchester , then into
1248-507: Is built across land rather than water, the space below the arches may be used for businesses such as car parking, vehicle repairs, light industry, bars and nightclubs. In the United Kingdom, many railway lines in urban areas have been constructed on viaducts, and so the infrastructure owner Network Rail has an extensive property portfolio in arches under viaducts. In Berlin the space under the arches of elevated subway lines ( S-Bahn )
1326-760: Is now part of the Merseyrail network. Two road tunnels pass under the estuary from Liverpool. By road, the Queensway Tunnel opened in 1934 connecting the city to Birkenhead, and the Kingsway Tunnel , opened in 1971, connects with Wallasey . Further upstream, the Runcorn Railway Bridge over the river at Runcorn Gap was built in the 1860s for the London and North Western Railway on the mainline between London and Liverpool. It had
1404-557: Is situated about 1 mile upstream from the Runcorn Gap where the river is considerably wider. From the Runcorn Gap, the river widens into a large estuary , which is 3 miles (4.8 km) wide at its widest point near Ellesmere Port . The course of the river then heads north, with Liverpool to the east and the Wirral Peninsula to the west. The Manchester Ship Canal enters the river at Eastham Locks . The eastern part of
1482-908: Is the Prince Edward Viaduct in Toronto, Canada, that carries motor traffic on the top deck as Bloor Street , and metro as the Bloor-Danforth subway line on the lower deck, over the steep Don River valley . Others were built to span settled areas, crossing over roads beneath—the reason for many viaducts in London. Viaducts over water make use of islands or successive arches. They are often combined with other types of bridges or tunnels to cross navigable waters as viaduct sections, while less expensive to design and build than tunnels or bridges with larger spans, typically lack sufficient horizontal and vertical clearance for large ships. See
1560-529: Is tidal from Howley Weir in Warrington. The canal let river traffic reach Warrington during low tides. During high spring tides, water levels often top the Howley Weir. Before construction of the ship canal, work to improve navigation on the Mersey included Woolston New Cut, bypassing a meander, and Howley Lock for craft to avoid the weir; the new cut and lock are still evident. The island formed between
1638-407: Is used for several different purposes, including small eateries or bars. Elevated expressways were built in major cities such as Boston ( Central Artery ), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seoul , Tokyo and Toronto ( Gardiner Expressway ). Some were demolished because they were unappealing and divided the city. In other cases, viaducts were demolished because they were structurally unsafe, such as
SECTION 20
#17327718462211716-542: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel . The Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France. It opened in 2004 and is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with one pier's summit at 343 metres (1,125 ft). The viaduct Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge in China was the longest bridge in the world as of 2011 . Where a viaduct
1794-645: The Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco, which was damaged by an earthquake in 1989. However, in developing nations such as Thailand ( Bang Na Expressway , the world's longest road bridge ), India ( Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway ), China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nicaragua, elevated expressways have been built and more are under construction to improve traffic flow, particularly as a workaround of land shortage when built atop surface roads. Other uses have been found for some viaducts. In Paris, France,
1872-625: The Manchester Ship Canal just south of Irlam Locks. At this point the Ship Canal is the canalised section of the River Irwell . The old course of the Mersey has been obliterated by the canal past Hollins Green to Rixton although the old river bed can be seen outside Irlam and at Warburton . At Rixton the River Bollin enters the canal from the south and the Mersey leaves the canal to the north, meandering through Woolston , where
1950-401: The Manchester Ship Canal near Irlam Locks, becoming a part of the canal and maintaining its water levels. After 4 miles (6.4 km) it exits the canal, flowing towards Warrington where it widens. It then narrows as it passes between Runcorn and Widnes . The river widens into a large estuary , which is 3 miles (4.8 km) across at its widest point near Ellesmere Port . The course of
2028-514: The Queen's Silver Jubilee . Since 1994 the bridge has been illuminated at night by floodlights. Repairs to chloride corrosion of the bridge's deck were carried out in the early 21st century using an innovative electrolytic method; they were shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Award for Better Public Building of 2010. Traffic on the bridge continued to grow to over 80,000 vehicles
2106-540: The Roman aqueducts , many early viaducts comprised a series of arches of roughly equal length. The longest viaduct in antiquity may have been the Pont Serme which crossed wide marshes in southern France. At its longest point, it measured 2,679 meters with a width of 22 meters. Viaducts are commonly used in many cities that are railroad hubs , such as Chicago, Birmingham, London and Manchester . These viaducts cross
2184-543: The Woodside ferry terminal in Birkenhead. On the Liverpool side, Liverpool Docks stretch for over 7.5 miles (12.1 km), the largest enclosed interconnected dock system in the world. American author Herman Melville described Liverpool Docks as being comparable to the pyramids in the vast scale of their construction. The docks were built out into the river bed. The Mersey Docks and Harbour Board used granite from
2262-656: The Beatles . In 1965 it was the subject of the top-ten hit single " Ferry Cross the Mersey " by Gerry and the Pacemakers , and a musical film of the same name . The Liverpool poets published an anthology of their work, The Mersey Sound , in 1967. The river's stretch through Manchester is the main theme in the Stone Roses song "Mersey Paradise", included on the B-side of the 12" version of their 1989 hit " She Bangs
2340-551: The Drums ", and on their 1992 compilation album Turns into Stone . The Tall ships' fleet has visited the Mersey on four occasions, first in 1984, then in 1992, 2008 and 2012. The traditional song " Leaving of Liverpool " mentions the river in its opening line. The Mersey is considered sacred by British Hindus , and worshipped in a similar way to the River Ganges . Festival of Immersion ceremonies are held annually on
2418-459: The Liverpool banks to New Brighton on the Wirral, forces water to flow faster creating a deep channel along the section of river. For 200 years an admiral was appointed as a conservator to ensure the river remained navigable. Mary Kendrick was the first woman to the post and she had spent years studying a Mersey barrage in the 1980s. Taylor's Bank is a large sandbank extending out to sea on
Silver Jubilee Bridge - Misplaced Pages Continue
2496-597: The Mersey Narrows and North Wirral Foreshore, are also Ramsar sites . Capt. William Gill of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company , charted a safe, navigable channel (the Victoria Channel) through the treacherous uncharted waters of the estuary in 1836. Since the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal, large commercial vessels do not usually navigate the estuary beyond Garston on the north bank, or
2574-476: The Mersey's tributaries, the River Goyt and the River Bollin . Atlantic grey seals from Liverpool Bay occasionally venture into the estuary along with bottlenose dolphin and harbour porpoise . Otter tracks have been observed near Fiddlers Ferry. Other fish in the estuary include cod , whiting , dab , plaice and flounder . Spiny dogfish , mackerel and tope feed on shrimp and whitebait in
2652-489: The River Mersey until the advent of safe passage via bridges and tunnels. Many of these deaths were of people who earned their living on the river, either as mariners or dock workers. The majority of mariners to die worked on the Mersey flat boats and drowned due to the weather conditions or poor craft maintenance, although many ordinary civilians perished too. Another ferry existed at Runcorn Gap and by today's safety standards
2730-523: The Runcorn side the approach viaducts are 359 yards (328 m) in length, and on the Widnes side 166 yards (152 m). The cost of constructing the bridge was £2,433,000. At the time of its construction it had the third longest steel arch span in the world. It had the longest vehicular span in the country, but this record was held for only a few weeks until the Tamar Bridge was completed. By 2001 it
2808-655: The Tame and Goyt, in central Stockport , Greater Manchester . However, older definitions, and many older maps, place its start a few miles up the Goyt at Compstall ; for example the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica states "It is formed by the junction of the Goyt and the Etherow a short distance below Marple in Cheshire on the first-named stream." The 1784 John Stockdale map shows the River Mersey extending to Mottram , and forming
2886-474: The amount of traffic using it before the outbreak of World War II . 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. 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
2964-399: The appalling conditions were reported in the local and national press consistently for over 40 years. In the early 19th century steam operated ferries were introduced. The Mersey Ferry , managed and operated by Merseytravel , operates between Pier Head in Liverpool and Woodside in Birkenhead and Seacombe . It has become a tourist attraction offering cruises that provide an overview of
3042-644: The arch by 48 lock-coil wire ropes. From February 1960, approach roads and viaducts were being built on both sides of the river; the total length of viaduct constructed was 525 yards (480 m). The approaches on the Runcorn side blocked the Bridgewater Canal at Waterloo Bridge and the line of locks leading down to the Mersey were filled in. The bridge was officially opened as the Runcorn-Widnes Bridge by Princess Alexandra on 21 July 1961. Since creation it has always been painted in
3120-633: The boundary between Cheshire and Derbyshire . In the west of Stockport it flows at the base of a cliff below the road called Brinksway before reaching flat country. An early Ordnance Survey map indicates the spring at Red Hole on the border of Cheshire and Yorkshire at the head of one of the Etherow's longest headwaters, as being the Source of the River Mersey . From Central Stockport the river flows through or past Heaton Mersey , Didsbury , Northenden , Chorlton-cum-Hardy , Stretford , Sale , Ashton on Mersey , Urmston and Flixton , where it flows into
3198-470: The bridge enabled the development of the New Town in Runcorn in the late 1960s and the 1970s. The amount of traffic using the bridge trebled between 1961 and 1970; this led to such severe congestion that in 1965 the first of two road widenings took place with a lane being added down the middle of the bridge (commonly referred to as the suicide lane). By 1975 traffic had increased to 40,000 vehicles per day and
Silver Jubilee Bridge - Misplaced Pages Continue
3276-493: The bridge was widened again adding a fourth lane; the approach roads were improved creating a better flow on and off the bridge. The carriageway was widened by incorporating the footpaths, giving it four lanes, and a cantilevered foot-way was built on the east side of the bridge. This work was completed in 1977 and in that year the bridge was renamed from Runcorn Bridge to the Silver Jubilee Bridge to commemorate
3354-542: The carriageway was widened, after which the bridge was given its official name in honour of the Queen's Silver Jubilee . It carries the A533 road and a cantilevered footway. The bridge is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building . The bridge was closed to vehicles for refurbishment upon the opening of the new Mersey Gateway Bridge , but reopened as
3432-674: The city to Birkenhead, and the Kingsway Tunnel , opened in 1971, to Wallasey . A road bridge, completed in 1961 and later named the Silver Jubilee Bridge , crosses between Runcorn and Widnes, adjacent to the Runcorn Railway Bridge which opened in 1868. A second road bridge, the Mersey Gateway , opened in October 2017, carrying a six-lane road connecting Runcorn's Central Expressway with Speke Road and Queensway in Widnes. The Mersey Ferry operates between Pier Head in Liverpool and Woodside in Birkenhead and Seacombe , and has become
3510-534: The cleanest in the UK". The Mersey Valley Countryside Warden Service manages local nature reserves such as Chorlton Ees and Sale Water Park . The river gave its name to Merseybeat , developed by bands from Liverpool, notably the Beatles . In 1965 it was the subject of the top-ten hit single " Ferry Cross the Mersey " by Gerry and the Pacemakers . The name "Mersey" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon mǣres , 'of
3588-434: The estuary is much affected by silting, and part of it is marked on modern maps as dry land rather than tidal. The wetlands are of importance to wildlife, and are listed as a Ramsar site . Most of the conurbation on both sides of the estuary is known as Merseyside . The estuary narrows between Liverpool and Birkenhead , where it is constricted to a width of 0.7 miles (1.1 km), between Albert Dock in Liverpool and
3666-399: The estuary where it meets Liverpool Bay, opened in 1971. The dock deals with around 500,000 containers, over 1.2 million tonnes of oil, over 2.5 million tonnes of grain and animal feed, 452,000 tonnes of wood per year. About 25% of all container traffic between the UK and USA passes through the port making it one of the most successful in the world and known as the "Atlantic Gateway". Liverpool
3744-587: The estuary. For ducks, the estuary is important to common shelducks and Eurasian teal . Waders include redshank , black-tailed godwit , dunlin , pintail and turnstone . The section of the estuary between Runcorn Railway Bridge and Bromborough , including Hale Duck Decoy and Mount Manisty , is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the SSSI citation describing it as an "internationally important site for wildfowl". There are further SSSIs at New Ferry and Mersey Narrows. The Mersey Estuary, and
3822-543: The event has not returned. During the 1990s the festival was the largest event if its kind in Europe. In the 2010s the event attracted tens of thousands of people and included music stages and other waterside attractions alongside regattas, visiting vessels, and tall ships on the river. Notable musical artists who have performed at the event include Katie Melua , Shola Ama and Russell Watson . Captain David Hawker
3900-403: The existing Silver Jubilee Bridge will also be tolled. Water quality in the Mersey was severely affected by industrialisation, and in 1985, the Mersey Basin Campaign was established to improve water quality and encourage waterside regeneration. In 2002, oxygen levels that could support fish along the entire length were recorded for the first time since industry began on the Mersey. In 2009 it
3978-498: The large railroad yards that are needed for freight trains there, and also cross the multi-track railroad lines that are needed for heavy rail traffic. These viaducts provide grade separation and keep highway and city street traffic from having to be continually interrupted by the train traffic. Likewise, some viaducts carry railroads over large valleys, or they carry railroads over cities with many cross-streets and avenues. Many viaducts over land connect points of similar height in
SECTION 50
#17327718462214056-512: The locks into the ship canal at Eastham . Deep-water channels are maintained to both. Until the early 20th century, commercial traffic bound for further upstream carried cargo in large flat-bottomed sailing barges known as Mersey Flats to Howley Wharf in Warrington and (via the Sankey Canal ) to St Helens . Motor barges delivered to riverside factories at Warrington until at least the 1970s, but nowadays only pleasure craft and yachts use
4134-593: The main river and adjacent salt marshes. The average amount of Hg in the Mersey was found to be 2 mg/kg with the highest amounts of 5 mg/kg occurring below the surface at concentrations harmful to sediment dwelling biota. The vertical rise and fall in Hg pollution observed at four Mersey salt marshes indicated a decline in metal pollution since the 1980s. Salmon have returned to the river and have been seen jumping at Woolston and Howley Weirs between September and November. Salmon parr and smolt have been caught in
4212-406: The middle of the range of similarly industrial-urban river-estuaries. The distribution of individual PAH compounds suggests that the Mersey has contaminants mainly derived from combustion sources such as vehicle exhaust as well as coal burning. The distribution of the toxic heavy metal Mercury (Hg) has been assessed by measuring 203 sediments taken from shallow cores (0.4 – 1.6 m) extracted from both
4290-448: The north side of the channel entrance to the river on which many ships have come to grief over the years. Historically the lowest bridging point on the Mersey was at Warrington where there has been a bridge since medieval times. The first ferry across the estuary was introduced in medieval times by monks from Birkenhead Priory . They transported travellers or accommodated them at the priory in bad weather. Countless people died on
4368-408: The original river channel became Warrington Dock (Walton Lock) in the ship canal. In the 1960s, the former river channel was filled. The area is now Wilderspool Causeway Park. At the western end of the canalised section in Warrington is the old entrance to the former Runcorn to Latchford Canal . This waterway was abandoned with the construction of the ship canal. It was constructed because the Mersey
4446-421: The presence of the adjacent railway bridge would cause severe oscillation . The finally accepted design was for a steel through arch bridge with a 10-yard (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
4524-399: The problem of oscillation due to the railway bridge. The main span measures 361 yards (330 m) and each side span is 83 yards (76 m). Construction began on 25 April 1956. The contractors for the first phase of work, Leonard Fairclough of Adlington , cleared the ground and constructed the foundations for the piers. The contract for the second phase, the building of the main arch and
4602-528: The river Meteia meaning "reaping one" or "she that cuts down" (Breeze notes the possibility of a local deity associated with the river, but highlights that this is only a supposition based on known deities like Sulis and Aerfen ) . The Mersey is formed from three tributaries : the River Etherow , the River Goyt and the River Tame . The modern accepted start of the Mersey is at the confluence of
4680-407: The river and surrounding areas. The Mersey Railway completed its tunnel through the estuary's underlying Triassic sandstone using manual labour in 1885. Intended as a pneumatic railway , the company opted for steam trains from its opening until it was electrified in 1903. The centre of the running tunnel is between 30 feet (9.1 m) and 70 feet (21.3 m) below the river bed. The railway
4758-636: The river as fish such as perch , barbel , grayling , carp , roach , chub , trout , pike , bream and dace have been caught. Warrington Anglers Association have fishing rights on a large stretch of the River through most of Warrington. Prince Albert Angling Society also have a small stretch near Rixton. The river has also faced problems regarding the poaching of fish despite a strict 'catch and release' policy imposed on anglers for ecological reasons which applies to most UK waterways. The Mersey River Festival, rebranded in 2018 as ‘River Festival Liverpool’,
SECTION 60
#17327718462214836-498: The river between Stockport and Carrington. Liverpool Sailing Club located at Garston Coastal Park on the north bank of the estuary has a 1000 feet slipway giving access to river for water sports. The wooded suburban stretch of the river from above Howley Weir to Woolston is also used for recreational and competitive rowing, operated from the Warrington Rowing Club. Angling has become popular on some stretches of
4914-477: The river then turns northwards as the estuary narrows between Liverpool and Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula to the west, and empties into Liverpool Bay . In total the river flows 69 miles (111 km). Part of the Mersey Railway , a rail tunnel between Birkenhead and Liverpool opened in 1886. Two road tunnels pass under the estuary from Liverpool: the Queensway Tunnel opened in 1934 connecting
4992-450: The river, in which clay figures representing the Hindu Lord Ganesha , the elephant deity riding a mouse, are submerged in the river from a ferry boat. Followers throw flowers, pictures and coins into the river. From its lowest point, moving upstream, confluences and tributaries of the Mersey catchment include: Viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting
5070-442: The ship canal company's dredgings have formed the Woolston Eyes nature reserve, and on to Warrington . During the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal, the original course of the river through Wilderspool (which is north of Stockton Heath and Lower Walton) was diverted westward into a canalised section. Wilderspool Causeway remains the only remnant of the original eastern bank of the Mersey at this point in Warrington. Part of
5148-415: The ship canal, a lock bypassing Howley Weir allowed navigation further upstream via a straight "cut" avoiding a meander around Woolston. The Mersey Valley Countryside Warden Service manages local nature reserves such as Chorlton Ees and Sale Water Park recreational sites and provides an educational service along the Mersey from Manchester to the Manchester Ship Canal. It is possible to canoe on parts of
5226-412: The side arches, was given to Dorman Long of Middlesbrough who sub-contracted the building of the bridge deck, viaduct and roadworks to Leonard Fairclough. Building of the bridge itself began in March 1958 and the side spans were completed by November 1959. The main arch was built by cantilevering steelwork from the side spans until it met in the middle in November 1960. The carriageway was suspended from
5304-427: The upper estuary and the tidal river where a number of sailing clubs are based. On most high tides, seagoing yachts with masts raised can navigate as far upstream as Fiddlers Ferry – about 3.1 mi (5.0 km) downstream of Warrington – where there is a small marina accessed via a river lock. Although river craft can continue upstream to Howley Weir, there are no landing or mooring facilities. Before construction of
5382-447: The weir and the lock is known locally as "Monkey Island". West of Warrington the river widens, and then narrows as it passes through the Runcorn Gap between the towns of Runcorn and Widnes , in Halton . The Manchester Ship Canal passes through the gap to the south of the river. The gap is bridged by the Silver Jubilee Bridge and Runcorn Railway Bridge . Another crossing, the Mersey Gateway road bridge opened in October 2017, and
5460-416: 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 343 yards (314 m) between the main towers with an 8 yards (7 m) single carriageway and a 2-yard (2 m) footpath. However aerodynamic tests on models of the bridge showed that, while the bridge itself would be stable,
5538-411: Was an annual event held on the river Mersey during a weekend in May or June between 1981 and 2019 to celebrate Liverpool's maritime tradition. Originally organised by the Merseyside Development Corporation , the festival was later overseen by Liverpool City Council and Culture Liverpool. The last event was planned to take place between the 8 and 10 May 2020, but was cancelled due to COVID . As of 2024,
5616-509: Was announced that the river is "cleaner than at any time since the industrial revolution" and is "now considered one of the cleanest [rivers] in the UK". Persistent organic and mercury (Hg) pollution contained within sediments of the Mersey estuary have been evaluated by British Geological Survey . Mersey river sediments from outer to inner estuary (Alfred Dock to Widnes) contain a variety of common organic pollutants, including polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) with concentrations which fall in
5694-402: Was highly dangerous. Passengers had to traverse wooden planks over the mud flats to reach the ferry boats which themselves were often poorly maintained and leaking. Even the steps down to the river bank were described as "beautifully slippery". In the dark the ferry was particularly worrying as there were few or no lights and the journey was only undertaken on a "needs must" basis. Complaints about
5772-458: Was likely a corruption of the actual name . Some, including David Parsons, have suggested the original forms "Segeia" and "Segantii" - based on the root "sego" meaning "strong" . Andrew Breeze instead suggests the original forms "Meteia" and "Metantii" - from "met" meaning "cut" or "harvest" - with the likely meaning being that the Metantii were "reapers (of men), cutters-down (of enemies)", with
5850-460: Was the 10th longest steel arch bridge, and at that time was just 8 inches (20 cm) short of having Europe's largest span. The bridge transformed Runcorn from an effective cul-de-sac into a town with through traffic. Road communications between north Cheshire and south Lancashire were immediately improved. Trade at the Port of Runcorn increased sixfold between 1960 and 1970. The presence of
5928-535: Was the Mersey River Festival's official artist from the late 1990s until the last event in 2019. The painter attended annually to capture on paper the boats, attractions, visitors, and events as they unfolded. Proposals continue for the construction of the Mersey Barrage , a tidal scheme to generate electricity and create another crossing of the river. Very high spring tides can generate
6006-577: Was the first UK port with radar assisted operations. The river empties into Liverpool Bay on the Irish Sea , after a total course of 69 miles (111 km). From 4 metres (13.1 ft) neap tide to 10 metres (32.8 ft) spring tide , the River Mersey has the second highest tidal range in Britain – second only to the River Severn . The narrows in the river estuary between Dingle Point on
6084-611: Was the longest motorway bridge in England. A second viaduct alongside opened in 1995; northbound traffic uses the old viaduct and southbound the new. A new 6-lane bridge, the " Mersey Gateway ", between Runcorn and Widnes began its construction phase in May 2014 and opened just after midnight on 14 October 2017. At the same time the Silver Jubilee Bridge was closed to undergo maintenance for approximately 6–12 months, but will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists. The new bridge uses tolls and
#220779