There’s plenty to be proud of in Widnes and Runcorn but the most iconic feature of our area is surely the Jubilee Bridge, which will celebrate 65 years in action next year. Originally opened in 1961 to replace the Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge, the carriageway was widened in 1975-77 when it was given it’s official name in honour of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.
The Transporter Bridge
Until 1868, when Runcorn Railway Bridge opened, the only methods of crossing the Mersey at Runcorn Gap were by ford (when the water level was low enough) or by ferry. Cars didn’t get a bridge until 1905 when the Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge opened.
It was a very inefficient way to move about – cars queued to drive into a cage hanging from cables, which was then winched to the other side. In a short space of time the queues became longer and longer – the bridge quickly became unable to cope with the level of traffc it was attracting.
In 1946 the Ministry of Transport agreed that the Transporter Bridge would be replaced as soon as funds were available. World War II had put such a strain on the nation’s economy that it was ten years before the money could be allocated. To make the scheme cost effective it was decided to build the bridge at the Runcorn Gap’s narrowest point but this created two problems: Being so close to the railway bridge meant parts of the bridge would be under a lot of strain when it was windy. And the potential size of the Bridge was limited because its piers couldn’t be too close to the wall of the Manchester Ship Canal.
After three or four proposals, the final design – for a steel through-arch bridge with a 10 yard carriageway – was approved and construction began on 25 April 1956. The ground was cleared and foundations laid by contractors from Adlington, who prepared the way for the main arch and side arches being built by contractors from Middlesbrough. Construction of the main arch started in March 1958 with engineers working from either side until they met in the middle in November 1960. The road was then suspended from 48 lock-coil wire ropes.
Rivetting Facts!
Construction of the Jubilee Bridge took:
- 5,900 tons of steel
- 7,500 tons of concrete
- 27,300 litres of (light green) paint
- 720,000 rivets (that’s a quarter of the number of rivets they used to build the Titanic!)
By the time the Bridge was opened on 21 July 1961, costs amounted to £2.5million. (That’s £47.5million in today’s money. The new Mersey Gateway Bridge cost £600million.)
The effect on Runcorn was dramatic and immediate – for the first time traffic could drive into and through the town easily. Trade at the Port of Runcorn increased 600% between 1960 and 1970.
The New Town was built and, by 1965, the Bridge had to be widened to accommodate the amount of traffic using it. Within 10 years, 40,000 vehicles a day were using the Bridge and a fourth lane was added down the middle (locally referred to as the Suicide Lane).
This work was completed in 1977 and the Bridge was renamed from Runcorn Bridge to the Silver Jubilee Bridge to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s 25th year on the throne. The volume of traffic continued to grow and by 2010 over 80,000 vehicles a day were using the Bridge. It’s time was up – with nowhere left to expand, the Jubilee Bridge had its day as the main Runcorn Gap crossing. The Mersey Gateway Bridge opened in October 2017 and the Jubilee Bridge was closed for refurbishment (and so they could make it a toll bridge after it being free for 56 years, the crafty buggers).
Repairs were extensive – including the removal of all paint and applying a new multi-coat system, resurfacing the concrete road deck, replacing a cable which was showing evidence of potential failure and strengthening various braces which had corroded. Reopened on 26 February 2021, the Bridge now has just two lanes for vehicles, with space being used instead for pedestrian and bicycle lanes.
And it’s a lovely walk across!
