The new Barton Lift Bridge has collapsed.

[Graham.]

It's a miracle no one was hurt. Looks like a major setback though.

[Steve Walker]

Yes, God knows what damage it has done to the bridge deck; one of the lift towers has a hole in the side and I'm sure that the recoil of the snapping cables or breakinbg machinery won't have done the interior of the towers much good either.

In the meantime, it's to be hoped that no ships want to head past as the whole canal is blocked.

[Davey]

Is this a replacement for the Barton Swing Bridge, or something totally different?

[Brian Gaff]

You would imagine that when designing these things, they would take into account damage that could be done in common failure modes would you not? Brian

[Andy Burns]

Someone needs to update a webpage ...

[Andy Burns]

Brian, the picture is from the website of civil engineers building the vertical lift bridge, proudly proclaiming

Trust us to deliver. Zero accidents.

it still says that at the time of posting ...

[Clive George]

It's a failure during construction, not during normal use, so I'm not sure that really applies.

[Steve Walker]

No. Because of all the traffic problems caused by the Trafford Centre (why they didn't give it its own motorway exit and keep traffic segregated from passing traffic I don't know), they are putting a new bridge across the canal, right next to Barton bridge. They will then be partially closing junction 10 and traffic will have to come off at Eccles onto a new road, across the new bridge. Those of us who live in the area will have to cross multiple junctions, roundabouts and traffic lights, where once we just had one roundabout under the motorway :(

[Davey]

Thanks. I'll now look at a map and use your references to work out where this is. I crossed the Swing Bridge on a canal boat back in sometime about the mid-70s.

[Johnny B Good]

Perhaps they're hanging fire on the off chance that the 'incident' investigation reveals it to be the result of an act of deliberate sabotage.

[Johnny B Good]

Presumably whilst it was loaded onto a low flat bed truck or trailer. That must have been a very memorable road journey.

[Mike Tomlinson]

En el artículo , Davey escribió:

The Anderton Boat Lift, which is a fun visit, isn't far away.

[Sam Plusnet]

Investigation = chuck in a couple of rusty hacksaw blades and a balaclava helmet.

[Davey]

Yes, we passed that, but that was before it was restored to operating condition.

On one trip, we saw what looked like a great muddy mess leading off of the canal we were on. A few years later, it had been cleared, cleaned and was now the entrance to The Cheshire Ring.

[Davey]

Ah, I didn't know that the road bridge was also a swing bridge, I was only interested in the canal one. So change my post to: "I crossed the Swing Aqueduct on a canal boat, etc".

[Steve Walker]

There are a whole load of swing bridges along the Manchester Ship Canal, mostly road.

There may or may not still be railway versions - the one at Salford Docks was removed and repositioned as a foot bridge. The road bridge that was next to it no-longer swings, as a new, fixed bridge was built alongside to widen the road.

The Barton Swing aquaduct is however unique. As far as I know, it is the only one that has ever been built anywhere in the world. When you crossed it in the 70s, it would have been swung multiple times a day - often with boats in it!

[Bob Eager]

Yes, but it doesn't go up and down as well, like the Falkirk Wheel!

[Steve Walker]

One day I will get up to the wheel. It's one of those things that is on my vague list of things to see.

[Bob Eager]

Same here.

[Davey]

We got the impression that they didn't let boats stay on it while it was being swung, but that is not definitive. I certainly can't see why not.

I remember going under a building in Manchester, we needed torches to see what we were doing operating the lock gates. Is that still there?

The Falkirk Wheel is certainly younger than my canal days, and I would like to see it. Ditto the Restored Anderton Lift, and the Inclined Plane at Blists Hill (or anywhere else).