English: Austins Bridge (No 83) near Audlem, Cheshire The bridge carries a farm track, and a public footpath now designated as part of the South Cheshire The Shropshire Union Canal (formerly the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal) looking towards Hack Green, is very straight here. Straightness is a characteristic of the Shropshire Union Canal, which was built in the 1830s, when competition was growing from the railways, and routes had to be as short as possible. Thomas Telford managed this by building long embankments and digging long cuttings, a ploy which also reduced the need for so many locks which would delay the boats. It also meant a lot more work, and trouble with unstable embankments in some places, which still cause problems to this day.