The Ordsall Chord bridge from below

It isn’t often that Ordsall in Salford is mentioned in the Chancellors budget!  In 2011 I was only half listening to the Chancellors statement on the radio but my ears pricked up when he proposed funding the construction of the Ordsall Chord.  What was the Ordsall Chord and what sort of musical instrument would need government support?  As we live near to Ordsall in Salford I investigated further and discovered this was a much needed railway project joining two Manchester railway stations; Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria.  The Ordsall Chord takes a curved route around the city centre, skirting the boundary of Ordsall, hence its name.

As with many railway projects nothing happened for a long time but eventually construction work started.  I watched the new line taking shape through 2016 and was excited to see the bridge over the Irwell erected [watch…