Winnington Swing Bridge repairs coming to an end

The urgent repairs to Northwich’s historic Winnington Swing Bridge are coming to an end in mid-December.

An overnight road closure will be needed to safely remove the equipment used for the project and allow for repairs to the parts under the bridge that cannot be reached when it is open to traffic.

From 10pm on Friday 11 December until 5am on Saturday 12 December the bridge will be closed to vehicles.

Repairs to the mechanical parts of the bridge underneath, have been brought forward to take advantage of the road closure.  Cheshire West and Chester Council and Canal & River Trust charity are working closely together to minimise disruption to motorists during the repair project.

The Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport said: “Work so far has not been visible to the public as it has been carried out underneath the bridge.  A final road closure is needed for the next phase to complete the project. I’d like to thank residents for their patience and support while these are vital works are completed.  Pedestrians will be able to cross the bridge at all times and will be safely directed away from the works.”

Richard Spencer, Project Team Leader for the Canal & River Trust said: “This has been a significant project to secure the bridge structurally and co-ordinating the mechanical repairs to coincide with removing the work equipment means that further closures can be minimised.”

The bridge carries the A533 road between Northwich and Barnton over the River Weaver Navigation.  The repairs are urgently needed to avoid a longer more disruptive closure in the future if the Grade II-listed, 110-year-old bridge’s condition deteriorated further.  Without the repairs a 7.5 tonne weight restriction would be needed on the bridge.

In parallel the Council has been exploring a business case for future multi-modal improvements to the A533 Winnington corridor, including the viability of an additional river crossing. More information will be made available early in the new year.

For more information about the River Weaver Navigation, visit the Canal & River Trust’s website www.canalrivertrust.org.uk.

Pictured - Winnington Bridge repairs in progress Winnington Bridge repairs in progress