An English town installed a bridge whose deck contains 140 recycled plastic bottles

New swing bridge installed as major milestone reached for Wichelstowe canal An English town has installed a six-metre swing bridge whose deck contains the equivalent of 140 recycled plastic bottles per square metre and can be manually opened for passing boats. The new structure, officially named Bushey Fox Bridge, was lifted into position by crane at Wichelstowe in Swindon as part of an ongoing multi-million-pound scheme to restore the historic Wilts & Berks Canal. According to an announcement published by Swindon Borough Council on Monday, 13 July 2026, the installation marks a major milestone in completing a new 600-metre stretch of waterway running south from the Wichelstowe district centre before turning east toward Mill Lane.Engineering a functional crossingFabricated off-site by specialist firm EKSPAN, the six-metre structure sits on supporting walls and landing points built by lead contractor Fox (Owmby) Ltd. The bridge is designed to remain locked in a closed position to carry pedestrians, wheelchair users, cyclists and towpath visitors across the channel. When a vessel approaches, canal users can unlock the structure and manually swing it open. The mechanism rotates on...