Northwich, Riversdale Swingbridge
On Wednesday 8th December members of the local community in Northwich celebrated the opening of the new Riversdale Swing Bridge with a fantastic lantern parade. The night sky was lit up with lanterns, made by children from local, nearby schools.
The new, iconic bridge was officially opened on Friday 3rd December, and replaces the former structure that was lost six years ago on this historic section of the Weaver Navigation. It will serve as a vital connection across the river but also as a popular destination in its own right for walkers and cyclists linking Greenbank and the Hartford Campus with Leftwich and Sir John Deane's College.
All parts for the bridge had to be transported one a half miles down the River Weaver on pontoons. The bridge has a total length of 45 metres and is supported by 10 steel tie rods hanging from a tower which stands six metres above the deck. Weighing 50 tonnes, the moving bridge takes seven minutes to open.
This project was delivered in partnership between Sustrans, The Big Lottery Fund, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Growth Point and the Weaver Valley Partnership.
Helen Bullough, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the North West, said: "This is great news as the new bridge will make it all that bit easier to make every day journeys by foot or bike. People from across the UK voted for Sustrans to be awarded the £50 million Lottery grant, so it's fantastic to see some of that funding making its way to communities in Northwich."
Until its closure, up to 1000 people a day used Riversdale Bridge to access local schools and colleges. This Sustrans' Connect2 scheme aims to reinstate this link with a new, iconic bridge.
Northwich Portrait Bench
The Portrait Bench is a simple bench with three life-size effigies of local heroes, chosen by the local community to represent their culture and history. The characters were chosen through public nominations and then a vote held by an independent panel, the final chosen characters were a Salt Worker, Paula Radcliffe and Gary Barlow.
The bench is part of a series of benches commissioned by Sustrans, creating a major new collection of public art across the UK. For more information on the bench download the Northwich Portrait Bench leaflet. (pdf)
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