Acton Swing Bridge £1.5million repair project on target for July completion

[Ray T]

PRESS RELEASE 

Cheshire’s Acton Swing Bridge £1.5 million repair project on target for July completion

Vital repairs to a busy 84-year-old road bridge, which carries the A49 trunk road over the River Weaver Navigation in Cheshire, are helping to safeguard the bridge for thousands of motorists.

The £1.5 million programme to refurbish Acton Swing Bridge, near Northwich, began on 23 January 2017 and is on target to be completed by July.

 The work has been arranged by the Canal & River Trust, which cares for the River Weaver and 2,000 miles of the nation’s waterways, and is being funded by Cheshire West and Chester Council.  The work involves a complete refurbishment of the bridge deck, including strengthening to its underside, as well as improvements to the bridge appearance.

 During the work, vehicles using the bridge have been restricted to one lane, controlled by traffic lights. These are manually operated during busy times in an effort to keep motorist waiting times to a minimum. About 15,000 vehicles a day cross the bridge.The towpath underneath the bridge and the pedestrian walkway over the bridge continue to remain open as far as is reasonably practicable.

 A height restriction of 2.5m for boats is in place underneath the bridge until the end of March so the bridge will not be able to swing for boat traffic until the beginning of April.

 Richard Spencer, project manager at the Canal & River Trust said: “Works are progressing well on the underside of the bridge. We are aiming to remove the scaffolding by the end of March, enabling the Trust to complete scheduled swings for larger boats to pass.

 “Having removed the road surface, we were able to inspect the exposed upper deck and discovered several  corroded steel sections needing replacement on the northbound carriageway. The new sections are in production and we are still on track to get the road re-opened by July.” 

 The Council’s Director of Place Operations, Maria Byrne added: “This vital project has shown excellent partnership working between the Canal & River Trust and the Council.  The Council has provided the full funding for these repairs and we are committed to ongoing investment in our highway network.”

 Boating enquiries:

 ·         During office hours, please contact the Canal & River Trust’s North Wales & Borders Customer Service Team in Northwich on 0303 040 4040 or email enquiries.northwalesborders@canalrivertrust.org.uk

 ·         For out of hours enquiries, please contact the Canal & River Trust free phone emergency number on 0800 799 947. 

 Traffic enquiries:

 ·         During office hours, please contact the Cheshire West and Chester Council Highways team on 0300 123 7036 or email enquiries@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

 ·         For out of hours enquiries, please contact Cheshire West and Chester Council on 0300 123 7036.  

 ENDS

For further media requests please contact:

Lynn Pegler on 07783 686246

Lynn.pegler@canalrivertrust.org.uk