Gathurst Viaduct

Last updated

Gathurst Viaduct
Beneath the M6 viaduct at Deans Lock, Gathurst - geograph.org.uk - 557510.jpg
Coordinates 53°33′42″N2°42′03″W / 53.5617°N 2.7009°W / 53.5617; -2.7009
Carries6 lanes of motor traffic (M6 motorway)
CrossesDouglas Valley
Locale Gathurst, Shevington, Wigan, Greater Manchester
Characteristics
Total length245m (800 ft)
Height22.8m (75 ft)
History
Construction costc. £830,000
OpenedDecember 1961
Statistics
Daily traffic Increase2.svg 106,441 (2018)
Count point
Location
Gathurst Viaduct

Gathurst Viaduct carries the M6 motorway across the Douglas valley at Shevington, Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.

The second largest bridge on the M6 motorway, it lies between junctions 26 and 27. Constructed in 6 spans, it crosses the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, the Manchester to Southport railway line and the River Douglas itself.

The viaduct is 800 ft (240 m) long and 87 ft (27 m) above the level of the river. The reinforced concrete piers consist of five sets of four 6 ft (1.8 m) diameter columns supporting a cill beam. The reinforced concrete deck is carried on ten 10 ft (3.0 m) deep continuous welded plate girders extending over the full length of the bridge. [1] In design terms it is a sister bridge of the Rakewood Viaduct on the M62 motorway near Littleborough. It was built primarily out of wrought iron. [2]

It was built in 1961 by A. Monk and Co Ltd of Irlam at a cost of some £830,000. Steelwork was manufactured by Robert Watson Steelwork Ltd of Bolton.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Douglas, Lancashire</span> River in north-west England

The River Douglas, also known as the River Asland or Astland, flows through parts of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. It is a tributary of the River Ribble and has several tributaries, the major ones being the River Tawd and the River Yarrow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M6 motorway</span> Longest motorway in England

The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over 230 miles (370 km) from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby before heading north-west. It passes Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle before terminating at Junction 45 near Gretna. Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74(M) which continues to Glasgow as the M74. Its busiest sections are between junctions 4 and 10a in the West Midlands, and junctions 16 to 19 in Cheshire; these sections have now been converted to smart motorways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M62 motorway</span> Motorway in the United Kingdom

The M62 is a 107-mile-long (172 km) west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting Liverpool and Hull via Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield; 7 miles (11 km) of the route is shared with the M60 orbital motorway around Manchester. The road is part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A6 road (England)</span> North-south road in England

The A6 is one of the main north–south roads in England. It runs from Luton in Bedfordshire to Carlisle in Cumbria, although it formerly started at a junction with the A1 at Barnet. It is the fourth longest numbered road in Britain; only the A1, A38 and A30 are longer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M56 motorway</span> Motorway in England

The M56 motorway serves the Cheshire and Greater Manchester areas of England. It runs east to west from junction 4 of the M60 at Gatley, south of Manchester, to Dunkirk, approximately four miles north of Chester. With a length of 33.3 miles (53.6 km), it connects North Wales and the Wirral peninsula with much of the rest of North West England, serves business and commuter traffic heading towards Manchester, particularly that from the wider Cheshire area, and provides the main road access to Manchester Airport from the national motorway network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spaghetti Junction, Birmingham</span> Junction 6 of the M6 motorway, UK

The Gravelly Hill Interchange, popularly known as Spaghetti Junction, is a road junction in Birmingham, England. It is junction 6 of the M6 motorway where it meets the A38(M) Aston Expressway in the Gravelly Hill area of Birmingham. The interchange was opened on 24 May 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lethbridge Viaduct</span> Bridge in Alberta, Canada

The Lethbridge Viaduct, commonly known as the High Level Bridge, is a railway trestle bridge over the Oldman River in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Constructed between 1907 and 1909 by the Canadian Pacific Railway, it is the largest railway structure in Canada and the largest of its type in the world, and is still regularly maintained and used over a century since its construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouse Bridge (M62)</span> Road bridge in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

The Ouse Bridge is a reinforced concrete plate girder bridge that spans River Ouse between Goole and Howden in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It carries the M62 and is situated between junctions 36 and 37. It was built between 1973 and 1976 by Costain and was designed by Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Partners. The bridge was officially opened to traffic on 24 May 1976 by nine-year-old Martin Brigham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shevington</span> Village and civil parish in [[Greater Manchester]], England

Shevington is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The population of the Wigan ward called Shevington and Lower Ground had increased to 11,482 at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medway Viaducts</span> Bridge in Cuxton, England

The Medway Viaducts are three bridges or viaducts that cross the River Medway between Cuxton and Borstal in north Kent, England. The two road bridges carry the M2 motorway carriageways. The other viaduct carries the High Speed 1 railway line. All three bridges pass over the Medway Valley Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thelwall Viaduct</span> Bridge in United Kingdom

The Thelwall Viaduct is a steel composite girder viaduct in Lymm, Warrington, England. It carries the M6 motorway across the Manchester Ship Canal and the River Mersey. It is between junctions 20 and 21 of the M6, the former being also known as junction 9 of the M56.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rakewood Viaduct</span> Viaduct in Greater Manchester, England

The Rakewood Viaduct carries the M62 motorway over Rakewood Valley and Longden End Brook between junctions 21 and 22 at Littleborough, Greater Manchester, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockport Viaduct</span> Viaduct in Greater Manchester, England

Stockport Viaduct carries the West Coast Main Line across the valley of the River Mersey in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It is one of the largest brick structures in the United Kingdom and a major structure of the early railway age. It is immediately north of Stockport railway station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancashire Union Railway</span>

The Lancashire Union Railway ran between Blackburn and St Helens in Lancashire, England. It was built primarily to carry goods between Blackburn and Garston Dock on the River Mersey, and also to serve collieries in the Wigan area. Most of the line has now been closed, except for the St Helens-to-Wigan section that forms part of the main line between Liverpool and the North.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drežnik Viaduct</span> Bridge in Central Croatia

The Drežnik Viaduct is located in Karlovac, Croatia, immediately to the west of the Karlovac interchange on the A1 motorway. It is the longest viaduct in Croatia, spanning 2,485 metres (8,153 ft). It is executed in seven segments, separated by expansion joints. The viaduct was constructed by Konstruktor, Split, as the main contractor, and Viadukt and Hidroelektra of Zagreb as subcontractors in 2000 and 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sava River Bridge (A3)</span> Girder bridge in Croatia

The Sava Bridge is located between Kosnica and Ivanja Reka interchanges of the A3 motorway near Zagreb in Croatia, spanning Sava River. It is 1,064.5 metres (3,492 ft) long, and it comprises four traffic lanes and two emergency lanes. Construction work on the Sava Bridge started in 1977 and was opened to traffic in 1981. When completed, the bridge was the largest, in terms of its plan area, prefabricated girder bridge in Croatia. The bridge was designed by Zvonimir Lončarić and built by Hidroelektra, Zagreb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Bridge</span> Bridge in Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire

The Don Bridge is a motorway viaduct in South Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weaver Viaduct</span> Bridge in Frodsham, Cheshire

The Weaver Viaduct, in the north of Cheshire on the M56, is one of the longest concrete viaducts on the British motorway network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pokaka railway station</span> Railway station in New Zealand

Pokaka was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line, in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand. It served the small village of Pokaka and lay to the south of Makatote Viaduct, the late completion of which held up opening of the station.

The HS2 automated people mover is a planned automated people mover (APM) in Solihull, England being built in conjunction with the High Speed 2 project in order to improve connections between HS2's upcoming Interchange station, Birmingham Airport, and other rail and community infrastructure.

References

  1. "Construction of the M6 Gathurst Viaduct". Wiganworld. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  2. "Gathurst Viaduct Viaduct - The ABC Railway Guide". abcrailwayguide.uk. Retrieved 23 November 2022.