Bridgewater Canal Red Brow Underbridge - Halton, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 53° 19.815 W 002° 39.124
30U E 523171 N 5909064
This brick built single arch bridge is an aqueduct carrying the Bridgewater Canal over the Red Brow Lane. From the point of view of the canal, which names the bridge, it is therefore an underbridge.
Waymark Code: WMQCHT
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/05/2016
Views: 1
The Bridgewater Canal
"The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester. It was opened in 1761 from Worsley to Manchester, and later extended from Manchester to Runcorn, and then from Worsley to Leigh.
Often considered to be the first "true" canal in England, as it relied upon existing watercourses as sources of water rather than as navigable routes. Navigable throughout its history, it is one of the few canals in Britain not to have been nationalised, and remains privately owned. Pleasure craft now use the canal which forms part of the Cheshire Ring network of canals."
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The Bridge
The bridge carries the Bridgewater Canal over Red Brow Lane, and because the road slopes one side of the bridge is higher above the road than the other.
The bridge has height restriction signs on the parapets to warn road traffic about the height. Confusingly each sign is a different height reflecting that each side of the bridge has a different height above the road.
The two heights on the bridge are are modern sign stating 7 feet 9 inches, whereas an older style sign indicates 8 feet 3 inches. No one seems to have considered what would happen if a vehicle of a height between the two were to go under the bridge from the side with the most headroom.