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Vote to name Chelmsford’s newest bridge

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**UPDATE 13/02/25**

The votes have now been counted and Bow Bridge Road is the winner! 44% of you chose this name and we'll be getting the new road sign ready soon. Find out more about all the suggested names and their link to this part of Chelmsford in the piece below.

 

If you’ve been for a riverside stroll heading east from the city centre recently, you’ll have seen an important new landmark for Chelmsford: the striking bridge connecting Wharf Road and Parkway. With works on course to be completed by the start of April, Chelmsford City Council must submit a name for the district’s newest road bridge. 

The distinctive 50m-span corten steel pedestrian and road bridge is a key bit of infrastructure, needed to better connect the new neighbourhood of Chelmer Waterside with the rest of the city. Works to complete the bridge and new road are now entering their final phase and over the next few weeks traffic calming measures will be added, architectural lights will be installed, and landscaping will begin. 

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This area of Chelmsford where the Rivers Chelmer and Can meet on their journey towards the Blackwater Estuary has a fascinating history. In the early 19th century, the newly developed Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation facilitated the transport of cheap coal, which led to Chelmsford’s first gas works in 1819. The canalisation of the river also allowed Chelmsford to grow from a small market town to the centre it is today. 

Key Chelmsford groups submitted names 

With this rich heritage in mind, the council asked key Chelmsford groups with a passion for the waterways and the city’s story to submit a name. There are five suggestions in total, from Chelmsford Civic Society, Ignite Chelmsford, Essex Waterways and the heritage team at Chelmsford City Council. Each name has been approved as suitable for the new bridge by our address management team, and now we need your help.  

We want Chelmsford residents and businesses to vote for their favourite suggestion and we’ll add this new name to our maps very soon. Before you make your choice, take a look at the names and the stories that inspired them, which are listed below. Once you’ve picked your preferred option, click on the form further down and make your choice. Voting ends on Monday 10 February, and we’ll reveal the winning name shortly afterwards. 

The five names 

1. Jabez Church Bridge Approach (Chelmsford City Council)

Jabez Church is a brilliant Chelmsfordian you may not have heard of. His father, (Jabez Church Snr) was one of Britain’s first gas engineers, involved in planning and setting up Chelmsford Gasworks. Jabez Church Jnr went on to even greater things. He became Superintendent and Manager of the gasworks and one of the foremost engineers of the Victorian period. The municipal authorities in Dublin referred to him as “one of the cleverest engineers in the three kingdoms” and his remarkable achievements were formally recognised with honours including the ‘Freedom of London’ and as President of the Society of Engineers. This suggestion has been submitted by the council’s heritage team to mark Waterside’s role in the Industrial Revolution. 

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2. Timespan Bridge Road (Ignite Chelmsford) 

Timespan is a word familiar to all of us and time is an ever-present and inescapable part of our lives. Time connects past memories with future aspirations, always flowing in one direction, much like a river. Sailing down that river, we grow, we learn, and become better people, striving toward a better future. The River Chelmer is the point of origin for this city, and its flow of time, and what spans a river other than a bridge? By using the name Timespan Bridge, we cross the flow of time. The bridge connects the Essex Record Office (symbolising our past) and the Waterside development, (symbolising Chelmsford’s journey towards the future) with the present, as symbolised by the city centre. This name has been submitted by Ignite Chelmsford, the city’s creative community. 

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3. John Rennie Bridge Road (Chelmsford Civic Society)

This name honours John Rennie, the designer of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. A renowned canal architect, Rennie was responsible for many waterways of this era. The opening in 1797 of this important connection to Maldon and the North Sea initiated the arrival of the Industrial Revolution in the then very much agricultural town of Chelmsford. The new waterway carried materials and goods of all kinds to Chelmsford, and the cost of coal is said to have halved when the navigation opened. Although its use declined after the development of the railways, coal continued to be brought to Chelmsford by water until the First World War. This suggestion has been made by Chelmsford Civic Society. 

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4. Bow Bridge Road (Essex Waterways)

Our story is simple. This bridge has the widest span of all the bridges in Chelmsford and is an important part of the city’s largest urban redevelopment site at Chelmer Waterside, where its iconic bow structure is an appropriate landmark. In replacing the previous heritage Bailey Bridge, it was necessary to provide adequate river clearance for additional river use and avoid a bulky deck structure. The use of a bow arch form very neatly satisfies all these requirements, and so the bow should be acknowledged in the naming. This name has been put forward by Essex Waterways. 

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5. Confluence Bridge Approach (Chelmsford City Council)

The final suggestion is inspired by the geography of Chelmsford. Confluence Bridge Approach reflects the joining of two of Chelmsford’s much-loved rivers: the River Can and the River Chelmer. These watercourses, which join by the bridge, have played an important role in the city’s development and even the origin of its name. Chelmsford was previously known as Ceolmaer’s Ford, thought to originate from an East Saxon who gave his name to a fording place across one of the rivers. Over time, Ceolmaer has become Chelmer, and the city, Chelmsford. The Chelmer and Can still shape the layout of today’s city, just as they have for hundreds of years. This option has been submitted by Chelmsford City Council. 

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“Our waterways have been the site of much innovation over the centuries, and I hope pioneers like Jabez Church and John Rennie would have approved of this latest feat of engineering that will help create another transformation our residents can be proud of.

“Chelmsford’s history has been shaped by its reliance on bridges through the ages. This striking new crossing is not only an essential link to a much-needed new quarter, but an iconic design that makes a statement in the present with a nod to our past.

“These thoughtful names remind us how much of our history and identity is connected to our waterways and I’m looking forward to finding out the city’s favourite!”

Cllr Lynne Foster, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for a Fairer Chelmsford

How to vote 

There are two ways to vote. You can go to a voting form on our website and pick one name, or head to our Facebook or Instagram pages and leave a comment with your favourite name. Only one vote per person or social media account will be counted. You have until Monday 10 February to submit your choice.

The new bridge and Chelmer Waterside 

The bridge has been funded by the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, Section 106 funding from Taylor Wimpey, and other developer contributions which have been collected specifically to be spent on infrastructure. It’s one of a number of key projects underway to enable Chelmer Waterside, the city’s largest brownfield site, to unlock its potential.  

The area has been earmarked for regeneration for decades and the development aims to transform this former industrial site into a desirable urban neighbourhood which makes better use of Chelmsford’s waterways. The area will also play a part in addressing the city’s housing crisis, with an aspiration for 35% of the properties delivered being affordable homes.  

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Julie Weight
Julie Weight

Julie writes stories and creates videos for Chelmsford City Council. Contact her at julie.weight@chelmsford.gov.uk or on 01245 606984.