THIS well-known bridge over the River Weaver at Hartford was opened in 1939 to link the new Manchester to Chester road.

The road ran in a relatively straight line bypassing once busy villages on the way, such as Davenham,where the old road ran through the centre of the village past St Wilfrid’s church.

In the early days, the River Weaver was crossed at this location by a pretty stone bridge that accommodated little traffic and can be seen here as the road carries traffic up and away from the Sandiway Head pub, better known as The Blue Cap.

The steel bridge opened in 1939 as Hartford Bridge, firstly with one carriageway or span and then another alongside it.

It carried the Northwich Bypass, and due to the paint colour it became known as The Blue Bridge, the narrow stone bridge had existed there for many years.

The Northwich bypass or the A556 was built during the 1930s and 1950s with a break during the Second World War.

He provided work for the many unemployed by building autobahns that ran straight and true through Germany.

This impressive road which included a cycle track for some of its way ran from Manchester to Chester and is now dual carriageway for a lot of the way.

We also have a photo of the Blue Bridge over the River Weaver from another angle as a river tug pushes through a dumb barge probably filled with the results of dredging. There is now a very pleasant walking or cycling path that runs alongside the river to Northwich and Winsford.