The engineer for the Manchester Ship Canal, Sir Edward Leader Williams, was commissioned to survey the river, while negotiations with the North Staffordshire Railway, who owned the Trent and Mersey Canal and had maintained its viability, ensured that some of the clauses from previous Acts of Parliament did not prevent progress.
O enxeñeiro do canal Manchester Ship, Sir Edward Leader Williams, foi encargado de inspeccionar o río, mentres as negociacións coa compañía de North Staffordshire Railway, que posuía o canal Trent e Mersey e mantivo a súa viabilidade, asegurou que algunhas das cláusulas das leis anteriores do parlamento non impediron o progreso.