Lancashire Bridge – Official Opening Ceremony

Works to reveal Lancashire Bridge for the first time in 78 years have now been completed, and the bridge was officially opened on Saturday 24th October. The Mayor of Stockport, Councillor Andrew Verdeille, unveiled a plaque in his honour on the town centre feature recently completed by Bethell.

The project was constructed by Bethell as part of our Highway Structures Strategic Alliance with Stockport MBC which is comprised of the Council’s in-house Bridge Engineers, Wilde Consulting Engineers and Bethell Construction Ltd. The Council received £1.164m in funding from the Department for Transport ‘Local Pinch Point Fund’ to help them finance the £1.6m scheme which involved  refurbishment of the 145 year old Lancashire Bridge, opening up the structure to reveal the River Mersey which had been hidden under Warren Street since 1937, the creation of new public realm space surrounding the bridge and the realignment of Warren Street.

Councillor Patrick McAuley, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for Thriving Economy, said: “Stockport is thrilled the river Mersey has been brought back into the Town Centre. The opening of the Lancashire Bridge is already a talking point in town, and the enhancement of our town’s cultural heritage has been well received by visitors and businesses that were unaware of the presence of the river beneath the street and the historical structures that surrounded them. This project improved the transport layout at this busy town centre junction, and created a unique public area that will enhance the centre.”

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The photograph shows from left to right Gerry McCoy (Bethell Operations Director), Councillor Patrick McAuley, Paul Griffiths (Project Engineer Stockport MBC), the Mayor and Mayoress of Stockport and  Matthew Goble, Design Engineer at Wilde Consulting Engineers.