Thelwall Viaduct

The M6 between junction 20 and 21 is carried high above the Manchester Ship Canal and River Mersey by a structure known nationwide — the Thelwall Viaduct. Millions have passed over it since it opened in the early 1960's. Since then, it has been altered, fixed, fiddled with and duplicated at great expense.

The new viaduct was built as part of works to widen the M6 in the early 1990's, and shortly after it was finished, the old viaduct was refusbished. There were only a few years where the whole thing was open with four lanes each way before it was closed again for these works.

But there can't be many people who have much idea what it looks like — drive over and you won't see any of it. What form does this mighty structure actually take? I went out for a walk and found out.

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M6

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