Construction

Work started in September 1959, and was to be finished by March 1962.^[3] 10,500 tons of steel superstructure was made by Dorman Long.^[4] Concrete was supplied by Four Square Industries of Middlewich.^[5] On Thursday 16 May 1963, the last two girders were put into place.^[6] The bridge had taken longer to build than expected, and the motorway was due to open on Monday 29 July 1963. The bridge was designed to take up to 79,000 vehicles per day.

In August 1990 it was proposed to build a second viaduct, to start in 1992.^[7] The £52.5m contract was awarded to Tarmac Construction of Wolverhampton in October 1992, with consulting engineers Pell Frischmann. Junctions 20 and 21a would be remodelled.^[8] Concrete came from Pochin Group of Middlewich.^[9]

Maintenance

In July 2002 a failed roller bearing was discovered and it became necessary to close all but one northbound lane. As the M6 at the time carried an estimated 150,000–160,000 vehicles per day, this led to serious congestion.^[10] The viaduct was not completely reopened to daytime traffic until February 2005, and subsequently remained partially closed at night for further remedial work to take place.^[11] In all, 148 bearings were replaced, the repair scheme costing around £52 million.^[12]

The bridge's height and openness to the elements mean that it has frequently been the subject of speed reductions because of strong gusts of wind that badly affect the stability of high-sided vehicles. On several occasions lane closures have resulted as a consequence of articulated vehicles simply being blown over. However, the open sides of the bridge are a deliberate design feature to reduce the likelihood of snow drifts building on the carriageways.

Events

In April 2011 a massive free party took place under the bridge, with reportedly over 5,000 ravers in attendance.^[13]

1971 accident

At approximately 8am on 13 September 1971 thick fog led to a catastrophic multiple vehicle crash on the viaduct. More than 200 cars, trucks and tankers piled up, five vehicles burst into flames, 10 people were killed and 70 injured. It was the worst accident ever recorded on British roads at that time.^[14]