The Tamar Bridge
Construction of the Tamar Bridge began in July 1959, this Image is dated from that year. Before its construction, the lowest road crossing of the River Tamar was Gunnislake New Bridge at the village of Gunnislake. The Tamar bridge runs parallel to Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge, sometimes referred to as the Brunel Bridge ;seen here on the left of the image, which opened in 1859.
In the 1950s (and for centuries before this) road users wishing to
drive from Saltash to Plymouth had two main choices. They could take a
long detour north either to Gunnislake New Bridge (a one-lane medieval
bridge), or even further north to the land-link between Devon and
Cornwall. Or they could cross the river by ferry. For centuries there
was a ferry link between the two counties just downstream from the
current bridge, but the ferries did not have sufficient capacity to
transport large numbers of vehicles as traffic volumes increased.After failing to secure government
funding for a new road bridge, Plymouth City Council and Cornwall
County Council applied for permission to operate a toll bridge for which
they received Royal Assent in 1957.
The Tamar Bridge was the first major suspension bridge to be constructed in the UK after the Second World War. It was also the longest suspension bridge in the UK at that time. Its central span measures 335 m (1100 ft).The bridge was constructed by Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company, and building work began in July 1959. It had a concrete deck, and was capable of carrying lorries up to 38 tonnes. The construction cost over GBP1.5 million, and the bridge opened to traffic in October 1961. H.M. Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother officially opened the bridge on 26 April 1962.
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