Рунккорн теміржол көпірі: тарих және қазіргі жағдайы

Bridge in northwest England

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. 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.

In 1846, the Grand Junction Railway obtained an Act of Parliament authorising the construction of a bridge over the River Mersey at the Runcorn Gap. A time limit of seven years was imposed. The Grand Junction Railway amalgamated with several other companies to form the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). The seven year time limit passed without construction taking place and the powers granted by the act lapsed. In 1861, the LNWR received Parliamentary approval to build a line crossing the Mersey from Aston southeast of Runcorn, to join the line from Crewe to Warrington at Weaver Junction west of Widnes, where it met the line from Warrington to Garston at Ditton Junction. The line was 8.5 mile (14 km) long and reduced the distance between Liverpool Lime Street and the stations south of the River Weaver by more than 8 mile (13 km). The bridge at Runcorn gap was the responsibility of William Baker, the chief engineer of the LNWR. During 1863, preparatory work commenced at Runcorn and the first stone was laid in 1864. The bridge's approach viaducts were major structures. It was opened for traffic on 10 October. The first goods traffic crossed the bridge on 1 February 1869 followed by the first passenger train on 1 April. During the early 1890s, the Manchester Ship Canal was constructed passing underneath the railway bridge. During the 1880s and 1890s, champion diver Tommy Burns was known to jump off the railway bridge in front of spectators or as a challenge. The footway was closed to pedestrians in 1965 but remains intact for access by railway personnel and carries an 11 kV electrical cable between Widnes and Runcorn. An engraved stone plaque on the northerly portal records that the main contractor was Brassey & Ogilvie and the ironworks were manufactured by Cochrane Grove & Co. Large portions of the original ironworks have been restored or replaced with new castings. The viaduct piers, bridge abutments and the bridge's central piers are of sandstone and the viaduct arches are of brick. but is also called the Britannia Bridge. It has been claimed that it was named after Ethelfleda, a ruler of the historic Anglo Saxon kingdom of Mercia, and that the southern abutments and pier of the bridge have been built on the site of the Saxon burh that had been erected by her in 915. There are three shields above the footway showing, from the southern end, the coat of arms of the City of London, and on the central and Widnes end, Britannia (from the crest of the railway company). Because of the presence of the crest, the bridge is also known as the Britannia Railway Bridge,