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Earlier this week, planning permission was granted for the new Riversdale Bridge in Northwich with unanimous approval from members of Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Planning Board. The new bridge will establish walking routes to and from schools in the area, an estimated thousand people will cross the bridge each day.  The funding has come from Cheshire West and Chester Council and the Big Lottery’s Living Landmarks fund. The new bridge forms a key component of the Sustrans Connect2 project.  The total cost of the project is £1.4m and includes footpaths and cycle links in the Northwich, Hartford and Leftwich areas. 

Work on the footpaths will begin in January and the bridge and the footpath and cycle ways will be complete by August.

Prosperity Executive Member Herbert Manley attended last night’s meeting and said afterwards: “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 which took place 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.”

Peter Foster, North West Regional Director for Sustrans said;

"Northwich, with the problems of a lack of a river crossing and poor access along 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. Work will begin on the structure early 2010.

Local Northwich West Councillor Helen Weltman said “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.”

Published on 20th Nov 2009