Riversdale Bridge gets the green light (From Northwich Guardian)

Riversdale Bridge gets the green light

9:50am Thursday 26th November 2009

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A NEW Riversdale Bridge will finally become a reality next summer.

Planning permission has been granted for the new bridge after unanimous approval from Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning board.

The bridge, which leads from Hunt’s Lock into The Crescent and Sir John Deane’s College, was closed in November 2004 after a British Waterways inspection found serious problems with it.

The bridge will re-establish walking routes to and from schools in the area and it is estimated that 1,000 people will cross the bridge each day.

Clr Herbert Manley, prosperity executive member for CWAC, said: “This is now where our dream of a new bridge with connected walking and cycling routes becomes a reality.

“Local people were involved in the consultation process and the new low level swing bridge will be located in the same position as the existing bridge.

“It is an exciting prospect that the new bridge will open and paths for walks and cyclists will be used by local people by the end of next summer.”

The funding has come from Cheshire West and Chester Council and the Big Lottery’s Living Landmarks fund with the new bridge forming a key component of the Sustrans Connect2 project.

The total cost of the project is £1.4 million and includes footpaths and cycleway improvement links into Northwich town centre and the Hartford and Leftwich areas.

The project is being co-ordinated by the council’s special projects team and work on the footpaths will begin in January with the bridge. The footpath and cycle ways will be complete by late summer.

Peter Foster, north west regional director for Sustrans, said: “Northwich, with the problems of a lack of a river crossing and poor access alongside the riverside and to the town centre, was the model for the national Connect2 project.

“We are very pleased to hear of the unanimous support at the planning stage for the main feature of the scheme, a new Riversdale Bridge.

“We look forward to construction starting next year.”

The bridge will have a traditional black and white colour scheme and will be a cable stayed structure with two steel towers off which run a number of cables in an A-frame design, much like the original structure.

Northwich West Clr Helen Weltman added: “I am absolutely delighted that planning permission has been granted.

“I look forward to the first stage of the plan – demolition of the old bridge – taking place in the next couple of months.”

l Are you happy that the bridge will finally become a reality? Let us know what you think at northwichguardian .co.uk/forum

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