Beware crossing Runcorn / Widnes bridge.

[Beemer]

If you have to cross the Runcorn / Widnes bridge in either direction especially in the mornings or have to catch a flight add an extra hour to your journey. The traffic in the Liverpool direction was backed up all the way to the M56 but had finally cleared by mid-day and it will happen again when the rush hour starts again as people make their way home later. Traffic approaching from Junction 7 at Rainhill down Watkinson Way will find that the A557 is closed permanently where it intersects with the building of the new bridge and you will be diverted off it "around the houses" till you reach the old bridge. I have added a map to explain it better. Regards Beemer.

Runcorn/Widnes diverts. by Beemer328i, on Flickr

[Deleted]

Thanks for this Brian,

If I had known about this before leaving for work this morning, I'd have left at 8am, took 30 minutes including filtering to get to near the Catalyst museum!

[lesmcs]

Yesterday Sunday 23rd April we left our house in Halewood at 1325 heading out to Delamere Forest via Runcorn eventually made it onto the bridge at 1430 this journey normally takes 10-12 mins. Nightmare it was OK coming back across at 1705 about 10 mins wait coming through the traffic lights at the Ditton/Speke Rd intersection.
This will be the case I think until the end of April?
Cheers
Les McS

[8miles27]

Thanks for that - wondered what they were going to do with Watkinson Way. When you say backed up to the M56 was that the length of the Daresbury Expressway then down to junction 11?

[Beemer]

Sorry 8miles27, I should have said it was the Weston Point Expressway down to Junction 12.The bridge traffic was virtually non existent at midday to-day. Regards Beemer.