Outwood Viaduct
Outwood Viaduct is a former railway bridge over the River Irwell near Radcliffe, in Greater Manchester, north-west England. It opened in 1846 as a timber structure and was rebuilt in cast iron in 1881. It closed to trains in 1966. Following a period of disuse, it was restored for use by pedestrians and cyclists and re-opened in 1999.
History
The viaduct was first built in timber for the Manchester, Bury and Rossendale Railway, which was amalgamated into the East Lancashire Railway by the time of opening. The timber viaduct opened on 25 September 1846. It was built to carry the Clifton Junction to Bury line over the River Irwell. The closest station was Radcliffe Bridge, heading southwest to Clifton the following station was Ringley Road. In 1881, the superstructure was rebuilt for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in cast iron from Andrew Handyside and Company of Derby. The timber deck was replaced by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. The railway closed in 1966 and the bridge fell into disuse. It was a very late use of cast-iron arches; by the time of its construction, cast iron had fallen out of favour for railway bridges and other materials had been developed.The bridge was restored as part of a project to reclaim disused industrial land for community use and converted into a walking and cycling trail. It was re-opened on 25 June 1999 by Sir William McAlpine, the president of the Railway Heritage Trust. It is now owned by Bury Metropolitan Borough Council.