Moore Lane Swing Bridge Over The Manchester Ship Canal - Moore, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 53° 21.786 W 002° 38.106
30U E 524282 N 5912725
This swing bridge carries road traffic over the Manchester Ship Canal.
Waymark Code: WMWZB4
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/03/2017
Views: 1
"The Manchester Ship Canal is a 36-mile-long (58 km) inland waterway in the North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift vessels about 60 feet (18 m) up to Manchester, where the canal's terminus was built. Major landmarks along its route include the Barton Swing Aqueduct, the only swing aqueduct in the world, and Trafford Park, the world's first planned industrial estate and still the largest in Europe."
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The Bridge
The bridge made from steel is an asymmetric swing bow string girder bridge operated by hydraulics.
It was constructed in 1894 by Sir William Arrol & Co. It weighs 700 tons and has 64 roller bearings with a 28 ft diameter turning circle.
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The main port at Manchester was closed in 1984 but there are still some smaller facilities in operation and with modernisation to handle containers it is expected that trade will expand.
The bridge is still operational but with current trade levels there are few ships that pass this point. However if trade continues to expand as planned it will mean the bridge will have to open more often.