Runcorn Railway Bridge

Runcorn Railway Bridge
Runcorn Railway Bridge
Coordinates	53°20′48″N 2°44′18″W / 53.34676°N 2.73835°W / 53.34676; -2.73835
Carries	Liverpool branch of the West Coast Main Line
Crosses	River Mersey Manchester Ship Canal
Locale	Runcorn, Cheshire, England
Other name(s)	Ethelfleda Bridge Queen Ethelfleda Viaduct Britannia Bridge
Maintained by	Network Rail
Characteristics
Design	Double-web lattice girder
Material	Wrought iron
Width	Double track
Longest span	305 feet (93 m)
Clearance below	75 feet (23 m)
History
Designer	William Baker
Opened	1868 (1868)
Statistics
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated	6 October 1983
Reference no.	1130418[1]
Location

The Runcorn Railway Bridge, Ethelfleda Bridge or Britannia Bridge crosses the River Mersey at Runcorn Gap between Runcorn and Widnes in Cheshire, England. It is alongside the Silver Jubilee Bridge. The bridge is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II* Listed building.^[2]

In 1861, Parliamentary approval for a railway crossing the Mersey was obtained by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). The design for a bridge and viaducts was produced by William Baker, the company's chief engineer. In 1863, preparatory work for the bridge and approach viaducts commenced. The bridge was completed in 1868 and was opened for traffic on 10 October. The first goods traffic crossed the bridge on 1 February 1869 and the first passenger train on 1 April.

The bridge has received few alterations. In 1965, the pedestrian footway alongside the railway was closed to the public but retained for maintenance access. The bridge is used by rail traffic on the Liverpool branch of the West Coast Main Line. The lines are electrified and 25 kV AC overhead lines installed. Starting in the 2010s, the bridge has undergone a lengthy maintenance programme that will extend its life for another 150 years.