Hawarden Bridge
Hawarden Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 53°13′02″N 3°02′00″W / 53.2172°N 3.0332°WCoordinates: 53°13′02″N 3°02′00″W / 53.2172°N 3.0332°W |
Carries | Borderlands Line |
Crosses | River Dee |
Locale | Deeside |
Official name | Hawarden Bridge |
Maintained by | Network Rail |
Characteristics | |
Design | Swing bridge |
Longest span | 85 m (278 ft) |
Number of spans | 3 |
History | |
Designer | Mr C A Hobson |
Construction begin | 16 August 1887 |
Opened | 3 August 1889 |
Hawarden Bridge (/ˈhɑːrdən/; Welsh: Pont Penarlâg) is a railway bridge over the River Dee, near Shotton, Flintshire, Wales. It was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (which later became the Great Central Railway), as part of the Chester & Connah's Quay Railway. It opened on 3 August 1889.
The central section, which was designed as a swing bridge to allow shipping to pass, no longer opens and is welded shut, although the rotating mechanism - hydraulic cylinders attached to a drive chain and sprocket - is still visible beneath the bridge.
The bridge is part of the Borderlands Line from Wrexham to Bidston.
Hawarden Bridge railway station is on the north side of the bridge, while Shotton station is on the south side.
National Cycle Route 5 crosses the River Dee on the path, adjacent to the railway line, which is on the bridge.
See also
External links
- Hawarden Bridge and Dee Marsh (photographs by David Sallery)
- Photographs from BBC
- Central section photo