REASSURANCES have been given regarding the safety of the Acton Swing Bridge after a cast iron roller failed during on-going repair work.

The £1.5 million refurbishment programme began on January 23 and is on target to be completed by July.

The vital repair work will help to safeguard the future use of the 84-year-old road bridge, which carries the A49 trunk road over the River Weaver Navigation in Cheshire.

The Canal and River Trust, which cares for the River Weaver and 2,000 miles of the nation’s waterways, has arranged the work, which is being funded by Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC).

The work involves a complete refurbishment of the bridge deck, including strengthening to its underside, as well as improvements to the bridge appearance.

Also part of the work is the ongoing maintenance and replacement of 141 cast iron rollers which enable the bridge to swing.

In a recent test movement, residents may have heard a clanging noise as one of the old rollers failed.

Richard Spencer, project manager at the Canal and River Trust, said: “The bridge does not need all the rollers to be operational.

“A new roller will be installed very soon and this can be done without closing the bridge to traffic.

“Monitoring the condition of the rollers is a constant challenge and on average we replace about four a year at a cost of £4,000 each.

“As part of the project, we will have the chance to carry out a thorough assessment of the condition of each roller and prioritise future replacements.”

Maria Byrne, CWAC’s director of place operators, said: “The good news is that the current repair work involves replacing the road surface and foundations with lighter material, which will have the beneficial effect of placing less strain on the rollers in the future.”

To keep the bridge open to traffic, the deck work has been replaced in two phases to allow a single lane carriageway, controlled by traffic lights, to remain open.

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.

The first half has now been completed and work is progressing well on the second section, keeping the project on track for a July completion.

Trial swings of the bridge have now taken place.