https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runcorn
Due to the huge amount of traffic which uses the old bridge on a daily basis, a new bridge is due to be completed in the Autumn of 2017. It is only a mile up river from the existing bridge. This is Runcorn and the existing bridge from the air:-
This is the old bridge from ground level:-
It is a bit difficult to see, but there is a railway bridge that also crosses the Mersey right next to the old bridge. The 3 supporting piers look as though they are supporting the steel bridge, but that is only because of the way the photograph has been taken. The railway bridge can be seen more clearly in the aerial photograph, and here below:-
Before the completion of the steel bridge in 1962, the road traffic across the Mersey in Runcorn was carried by a transporter bridge. This was a simple design that has been used aound the world to span rivers etc, and during windy weather it used to make for a very "interesting" crossing!
The bridge was dismantled when the steel bridge opened.
The new bridge will be supported from 3 main piers, and at the moment it is very close to becoming a continuous span:-
The stretch of water at the bottom of the photographs is the Manchester Ship Canal. It is 36 miles long, and was opened in 1894. It was built to carry goods from Manchester to and from the port of Liverpool. Previously, the river Mersey used to carry this trade, but it became silted up and uneconomical to dredge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Ship_Canal
