A bridge which was severely damaged by the worst storm to hit the borough for decades is to be replaced.
Milltown Street bridge in Radcliffe was all but swept away by Storm Eva, which brought mass flooding and damage on Boxing Day 2015.
Bury Council is about to appoint contractors to build a new bridge for walkers and cyclists over the River Irwell. The £3.2 million project is being paid for through the Greater Manchester Mayor’s City Region Sustainable Transport Fund.
It is a key element of the Greater Manchester Bee Active network in Radcliffe and will complement the proposed CRSTS investment in cycling and walking infrastructure elsewhere in Radcliffe.
The bridge crosses the River Irwell linking Rectory Lane and Milltown Street and will be higher than the original bridge for flood defence reasons. It will reconnect an existing public right of way across the Irwell and provide a north-south cycle link through the east of the town.
Councillors are due to approve the plans when the cabinet meets next Wednesday.
Councillor Alan Quinn said: “No one who lived here at the time will ever forget Storm Eva, and the devastation it brought to our borough, particularly Radcliffe.
“The new bridge will be a welcome addition to the ongoing regeneration of the town centre. It will connect housing and businesses south of the river with existing and proposed housing, as well as schools and businesses, north of the river, supporting economic regeneration.
“The new bridge will be manufactured in the UK, as I’m determined to place as many orders as I can with British companies. It’s only right that taxpayers’ money is used to generate British jobs and it’s part of the council’s social value policy.
“The north bank of the River Irwell is the subject of a large housing-led regeneration scheme to create up to 400 much-needed homes on East Lancashire Paper Mill development site. The bridge offers a route from the south bank to Radcliffe Metrolink stop and the new high school, via a proposed new crossing on Church Street West and a new Metrolink ramp.”
Storm Eva
Storm Eva was the worst storm to strike Greater Manchester in living memory.
Originally headed for Cumbria, which had been badly hit just weeks before by Storm Desmond, it changed direction and landed further south.
The storm caused unprecedented flooding, following a month of constant rain which had saturated the land. Water levels at the rivers Roch and Irwell rose by 2.1m to their highest recorded level.
Across the borough of Bury, more than 800 homes were evacuated, particularly in Radcliffe and Redvales. Some 3,200 households were without power, and many people could not return to their homes for many months afterwards. It led to £40 million of flood defences being built along the rivers.
Pictures of the Kay Street bridge in Summerseat, which collapsed into the River Irwell taking the Waterside Inn with it, made the national news but no one was killed or seriously injured.
Storm Eva was one of 5 winter storms that hit the UK in the winter of 2015, starting with Abbie and followed by Barny, Chloe and Desmond. Since then Radcliffe has been hit by further storms with more flooding caused by Storm Ciara in 2020. When Storm Christoph hit in 2021 Radcliffe was fully protected as most of the defences had been constructed.
Cllr Quinn added: “Climate change is now fact, and the recent storms are testament to that. We must do what we can to do our bit, and cut our carbon emissions to combat climate change.”
