Bridges across the Mersey

Cycled to Delamere today. A 45 mile found trip. The weather forecast said that the sky would be dark all day, and it was.

To go south from Liverpool you need to cross the Mersey. This picture shows the crossings at Runcorn. The nearest one (in red) is the train bridge which was completed in 1868. The green bridge at the back is the bridge for cars (and bikes and pedestrians) and was only opened in 1961 when it replaced a transporter bridge. There are invariably long tail backs at rush hours, and at weekends when the bridge is often being repaired or repainted. We often take a diversion over the Thelwall viaduct, or under one of the Mersey tunnels. The government is now committed to building a second bridge, but we are told that, to help cover the cost, it will have to be a toll bridge. And furthermore, to be fair, the existing bridge will also become a toll bridge. So no doubt we will continue to make a diversion.