Winnington Swing Bridge repairs to begin this month

Urgent repairs to Northwich’s Winnington Swing Bridge will begin later this month with a road closure needed.

For the repairs to be carried out the structure will need to be closed to all vehicles from 10pm on Sunday 16 August to midnight on Thursday 27 August.

Cheshire West and Chester Council and Canal & River Trust charity are working closely together to minimise disruption to motorists during the vital repair project.

Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Wellbeing, Councillor Louise Gittins said: “These are vital works and I’d like to thank residents for their patience and support while are completed.

“The Council has secured a total of £930K funding for this project.  This has allowed the scope of the works to be increased to include strengthening and painting.

“The repairs will mostly be to the underside of the bridge and teams will be working underneath the bridge in areas that are not visible to the public.  Any work outside of the road closures will be carefully planned not to affect traffic flow.  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: “We continue to monitor the bridge structure regularly and will work closely with the Council to complete the repair project and secure the future of this key heritage structure.  It’s important for these works to go ahead well before the winter and secure this vital road link for Northwich.”

Additional closures are also currently provisionally scheduled for 10pm on Friday 25 September to Monday 5am on 28 September and 10pm on Friday 9 October to 5am on Monday 12 October closure.  This is to install additional beams to further strengthen the bridge.

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.

Whilst work is being undertaken to the existing bridge to ensure that this important part of the road network remains accessible, longer term plans are being considered for further improvements along the Winnington corridor.  The Council plans to engage with the local community about emerging options during the autumn.

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