In reply to oaktree:
If there wasn't a bridge I wouldn't. I'd consider swimming, if the river wasn't running too fast, and if I really needed to cross it, but that wouldn't keep me dry.
It's more important to keep your kit dry than your body dry anyway. Wet bodies dry in no time (in dry air); wet clothes don't dry all day. If I could get all my clothes and my boots into a dry bag and swim across with that held out of the water, that wouldn't be a bad result.
Post edited at 14:08