Tamar Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Tamar Bridge is a major road
bridge
at Saltash
in southwest
England
carrying traffic between Cornwall
and Devon
. When it opened in 1961 it was the longest suspension bridge
in the United Kingdom
. In 2001 it became the world's first suspension bridge to be widened (from three to five lanes) using cantilever
s, and the world's first bridge to undergo strengthening and widening work while remaining open to traffic. The five lanes are divided as follows: three lanes carry the A38
trunk road
, the fourth is reserved for eastbound local traffic and the fifth for pedestrian
s and cyclists
. Previously all traffic merged and shared the three lanes.
Construction of the Tamar Bridge began in July 1959. Before this, the lowest road crossing of the River Tamar
was Gunnislake New Bridge at the village of Gunnislake
. This seven-arched granite
bridge was built in the early 16th century (c. 1520). It is still in use today but it is only wide enough to carry one lane of traffic. Before the Tamar Bridge was opened, most car drivers wishing to travel between Saltash
(on the Cornish side) and the Devon city of Plymouth
used car ferries
. Today the Tamar Bridge carries approximately 40,000 vehicles every day. It is co-owned by Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council, and is managed by the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry
Joint Committee. A toll
of GBP
1.50 per car is charged when driving from Cornwall into Devon, although the price is halved using the electronic payment system. Motorcycles do not have to pay.
The Tamar Bridge is located above the Hamoaze
, and runs parallel to Isambard Kingdom Brunel
's Royal Albert Bridge
(sometimes referred to as the Brunel Bridge) which opened in 1859 and is considered to be one of his greatest railway achievements. Both bridges offer wonderful views of the Tamar Valley and Tamar Estuary. The Tamar, Lynher
and Tavy
Valleys form one of England's thirty-seven Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
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.
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 tonne
s. The construction cost over GBP
1.5 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.
trunk road, which runs from Bodmin
in Cornwall
to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire
(approximately 300 miles (490 km)). The point at which the two streams of traffic merged to cross the bridge into Devon was a notorious accident
black spot.
In 1961, approximately 4000 vehicles used the Tamar Bridge each day. This had dramatically increased by 1990s. In 1998 the hourly rate during the morning rush hour was 2500 vehicles. The average weekday saw 38,200 vehicles cross the bridge and the summer weekday flow was even higher at 42,900 (the Tamar Bridge is an important tourist route into Cornwall). In contrast, the Torpoint
ferry link could transport a maximum of 300 vehicles per hour. (See http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199798/ldselect/ldtamar/129/12903.htm) The Torpoint Ferries operate between the Cornish town of Torpoint
and the Devon city of Plymouth
; this is more southerly crossing than the Tamar Bridge, linking Torpoint and the Rame Peninsula
to Devon. As such it is not in competition with the Tamar Bridge, in fact the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry
Joint Committee manage the bridge, and revenue from its tolls subsidise the Torpoint ferries.
In the late 1990s, after nearly four decades of use, it was found that the Tamar Bridge would not be able to meet a new European Union
directive
that bridges should be capable of carrying lorries
up to 40 tonne
s. In fact, the concrete
deck had deteriorated so much that the weight limit for vehicles crossing bridge was in danger of being reduced to 17 tonnes. It was agreed that this restriction would damage the local economy
, so the bridge needed to be strengthened or replaced.
It was estimated that building an alternative river crossing would cost in excess of GBP
300 million. Once a viable strengthening scheme was proposed, the idea of building a new bridge was abandoned due to the high cost.
The main problem with strengthening the Tamar Bridge was that since it catered for around 40,000 vehicles a day, closing it for the duration was not a viable option. An engineer
proposed temporarily adding cantilever
platforms to the sides of the bridge to accommodate traffic while the main deck was strengthened. Once this revolutionary technique had been accepted, it was soon decided that these two extra lanes should be permanent additions to the bridge in order to increase the number of lanes from three to five.
This additional capacity was not expected to encourage a large increase in the number of vehicles using the Tamar Bridge. The A38
passes through the three-lane Saltash Tunnel
on the Cornish side of the bridge (this acts as a subterranean bypass for Saltash and opened in 1988). The tunnel was expected to regulate the amount of traffic using the bridge despite the increased capacity. The real benefit of these extra lanes would be to make the Tamar Bridge safer and more pleasant for all types of traffic. Pedestrians and cyclists would be safer since they were properly separated from all motor vehicles. Also, local traffic eastbound from Saltash would no longer have to merge with the A38
, eliminating a notorious accident
black spot.
34 million (a fraction of the estimated GBP
300 million for a new bridge). This was funded from the revenue from tolls paid to cross the Tamar Bridge into Devon.
Work began on the Tamar Bridge in March 1999 and was completed, one month behind schedule, in December 2001. At one point the project was three months behind schedule. The delays were due both to an embargo on road works for the total solar eclipse
of 11 August 1999 which saw tourists flock to Cornwall, one of the few areas of the UK in the path of totality, and also due to extremely bad weather during the winter of 1999/2000.
The improved bridge was fully opened to traffic on 20 December 2001 (although it was never fully closed, in fact during peak hours every effort was made to keep three lanes open). The Tamar Bridge was officially reopened by Princess Anne
on 26 April 2002—forty years to the day after it was first officially opened.
deck. This had degraded so seriously over its four decades of use that rather than simply being reinforced it was entirely replaced by an orthotropic
steel
deck (i.e. a deck formed from steel plates supported underneath by longitudinal ribs or stiffeners). The members were also strengthened by the addition of steelwork, and 18 new diagonal cable
stays were fitted. The two new cantilever
lanes were added to the bridge before the old concrete deck was replaced so as to be available to diverted traffic. At all times during the project, the importance of maintaining the flow of traffic over the bridge was emphasised. Even during construction work the Tamar Bridge served approximately 40,000 vehicles a week.
When modifying suspension bridge
s engineers have to be constantly aware of the distribution of weight. At first, steel may sound like an unlikely choice of construction material for the replacement deck, especially since the bridge will have to support five lanes of steel deck instead of the original three of concrete. However, even with the replacement steel deck and the addition of two cantilever
lanes, the new bridge weighs only 25 tonne
s more than the original.
The new steel deck is formed from 82 orthotropic panels. Each panel weighs 20 tonne
s, and measures 15 m by 6 m (approximately 49 ft by 20 ft). They were constructed in Darlington
, County Durham
by Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd and driven nearly 400 miles (over 600 km) to the Tamar Bridge and welded together on site.
to be widened using cantilever
s, and the world's first bridge to be widened and strengthened while remaining open to traffic. The strengthening and widening project was:
Engineers from around the world have been interested in the project. For example, Bill Moreau, the chief engineer for the New York State Bridge Authority
USA
, has visited the newly reopened Tamar Bridge to examine the project with a view to adapting it for some of New York
's aging stock of suspension bridges.
and the rest of England
and the UK
, the Tamar Bridge is often used for a focus for protest
s or charity
events.
Local commercial radio station Pirate FM
held a charity fundraiser in April 2002, which involved redecorating the newly reopened Tamar Bridge. They hung a 563 m (1848 ft) clothesline along the entire span of the bridge, and decked it out with 1,000 pairs of underwear including knickers, panties, bloomers and thongs.
In March 1998, after the closure of Europe
's last tin
mine
South Crofty
in Cornwall (which has since reopened), campaigners trying to raise the profile of Cornwall's economic crisis encouraged commuters to pay the £
1.00 toll in pennies
. Since the bridge serves 2,500 vehicles an hour in peak times, any scheme that slows down the process of paying tolls is likely to cause long tailbacks and make the news. This protest was also done when it was planned to raise the toll to £
3.00. The plan was dropped, partly because of the problems that would inevitably result from counting up 300 pennies instead of 100.
On 23 January 2004, four protesters climbed onto the gantry over the Tamar Bridge to highlight the work of the group Fathers 4 Justice
who promote the rights of fathers in child custody
disputes. Similar protests for male custody rights in 2004 have also taken place on cranes next to Exeter
Crown Court
(in Devon
) and next to Tower Bridge
, London
.
The bridge has unusually become such a cultural focus for its surrounding areas, including Plymouth and parts of Cornwall, that references to the bridge have often found their way into local expressions. Indeed, references to bridges in Plymouth circle almost exclusively around the bridge itself. The site has, over the years, become a focal point of many wishing to end their own life, possibly because the bridge covers an isolated part of the 6 km long Wolseley Road and the River Tamar
itself, making bodies difficult to find. Many expressions, for example, "Go jump in the Tamar!" as a euphemism for "Go away!", have developed around this.
's Attorney General, Sir George Harrison, involving a dispute with the Crown over the latter’s claim to Cornwall’s foreshore. Harrison’s submission described Cornwall as a Palatine state that had always been held apart from England and that the entire jurisdiction of the Crown within Cornish borders was held by the Duke. In other words the reigning monarch’s writ did not extend to Cornwall and the ancient boundary fixed by Athelstan 900 years previously between Cornwall and Wessex was confirmed as the east bank of the river Tamar. This was confirmed more recently by the Tamar Bridge Act of 1998.
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
at Saltash
Saltash
Saltash is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by...
in southwest
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
carrying traffic between Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
and Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. When it opened in 1961 it was the longest suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In 2001 it became the world's first suspension bridge to be widened (from three to five lanes) using cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
s, and the world's first bridge to undergo strengthening and widening work while remaining open to traffic. The five lanes are divided as follows: three lanes carry the A38
A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
trunk road
Trunk road
A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting two or more cities, ports, airports, and other things.—which is the recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic...
, the fourth is reserved for eastbound local traffic and the fifth for pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
s and cyclists
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
. Previously all traffic merged and shared the three lanes.
Construction of the Tamar Bridge began in July 1959. Before this, the lowest road crossing of the River Tamar
River Tamar
The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...
was Gunnislake New Bridge at the village of Gunnislake
Gunnislake
Gunnislake is a large village in east Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated in the Tamar Valley approximately ten miles north of Plymouth...
. This seven-arched granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
bridge was built in the early 16th century (c. 1520). It is still in use today but it is only wide enough to carry one lane of traffic. Before the Tamar Bridge was opened, most car drivers wishing to travel between Saltash
Saltash
Saltash is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by...
(on the Cornish side) and the Devon city of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
used car ferries
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
. Today the Tamar Bridge carries approximately 40,000 vehicles every day. It is co-owned by Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council, and is managed by the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry
Torpoint Ferry
The Torpoint Ferry is a car and pedestrian chain ferry, connecting the A374 road which crosses the Hamoaze, a stretch of water at the mouth of the River Tamar, between Devonport in Plymouth and Torpoint in Cornwall...
Joint Committee. A toll
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
of GBP
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1.50 per car is charged when driving from Cornwall into Devon, although the price is halved using the electronic payment system. Motorcycles do not have to pay.
The Tamar Bridge is located above the Hamoaze
Hamoaze
The Hamoaze is an estuarine stretch of the tidal River Tamar, between the River Lynher and Plymouth Sound, England.The Hamoaze flows past Devonport Dockyard, which belongs to the Royal Navy...
, and runs parallel to Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
's Royal Albert Bridge
Royal Albert Bridge
The Royal Albert Bridge is a railway bridge that spans the River Tamar in the United Kingdom between Plymouth, on the Devon bank, and Saltash on the Cornish bank. Its unique design consists of two lenticular iron trusses above the water, with conventional plate-girder approach spans. This gives...
(sometimes referred to as the Brunel Bridge) which opened in 1859 and is considered to be one of his greatest railway achievements. Both bridges offer wonderful views of the Tamar Valley and Tamar Estuary. The Tamar, Lynher
River Lynher
The River Lynher flows through east Cornwall, UK, passing St Germans and enters the River Tamar at the Hamoaze, which in turn flows into Plymouth Sound.-Geography:...
and Tavy
River Tavy
The Tavy is a river on Dartmoor, Devon, England. The name derives from the Brythonic root "Taff", the original meaning of which has now been lost...
Valleys form one of England's thirty-seven Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Why it was needed
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
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
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.
Construction
The Tamar Bridge was the first major suspension bridgeSuspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
to be constructed in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
deck, and was capable of carrying lorries
Lorry
-Transport:* Lorry or truck, a large motor vehicle* Lorry, or a Mine car in USA: an open gondola with a tipping trough* Lorry , a horse-drawn low-loading trolley-In fiction:...
up to 38 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s. The construction cost over GBP
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1.5 million, and the bridge opened to traffic in October 1961. H.M. Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
officially opened the bridge on 26 April 1962.
Tamar Bridge in use
The bridge was three lanes wide (until 2001, see below). Local traffic had to merge with traffic from the A38A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
trunk road, which runs from Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
(approximately 300 miles (490 km)). The point at which the two streams of traffic merged to cross the bridge into Devon was a notorious accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
black spot.
In 1961, approximately 4000 vehicles used the Tamar Bridge each day. This had dramatically increased by 1990s. In 1998 the hourly rate during the morning rush hour was 2500 vehicles. The average weekday saw 38,200 vehicles cross the bridge and the summer weekday flow was even higher at 42,900 (the Tamar Bridge is an important tourist route into Cornwall). In contrast, the Torpoint
Torpoint
Torpoint is a civil parish and town on the Rame Peninsula in southeast Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated opposite the city of Plymouth across the Hamoaze which is the tidal estuary of the River Tamar....
ferry link could transport a maximum of 300 vehicles per hour. (See http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199798/ldselect/ldtamar/129/12903.htm) The Torpoint Ferries operate between the Cornish town of Torpoint
Torpoint
Torpoint is a civil parish and town on the Rame Peninsula in southeast Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated opposite the city of Plymouth across the Hamoaze which is the tidal estuary of the River Tamar....
and the Devon city of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
; this is more southerly crossing than the Tamar Bridge, linking Torpoint and the Rame Peninsula
Rame Peninsula
The Rame Peninsula is a peninsula in south-east Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. The peninsula is surrounded by the English Channel to the south, Plymouth Sound to the east, and the estuary of the River Lynher to the north...
to Devon. As such it is not in competition with the Tamar Bridge, in fact the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry
Torpoint Ferry
The Torpoint Ferry is a car and pedestrian chain ferry, connecting the A374 road which crosses the Hamoaze, a stretch of water at the mouth of the River Tamar, between Devonport in Plymouth and Torpoint in Cornwall...
Joint Committee manage the bridge, and revenue from its tolls subsidise the Torpoint ferries.
Motivation
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
directive
European Union directive
A directive is a legislative act of the European Union, which requires member states to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result. It can be distinguished from regulations which are self-executing and do not require any implementing measures. Directives...
that bridges should be capable of carrying lorries
Lorry
-Transport:* Lorry or truck, a large motor vehicle* Lorry, or a Mine car in USA: an open gondola with a tipping trough* Lorry , a horse-drawn low-loading trolley-In fiction:...
up to 40 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s. In fact, the concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
deck had deteriorated so much that the weight limit for vehicles crossing bridge was in danger of being reduced to 17 tonnes. It was agreed that this restriction would damage the local economy
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, so the bridge needed to be strengthened or replaced.
It was estimated that building an alternative river crossing would cost in excess of GBP
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
300 million. Once a viable strengthening scheme was proposed, the idea of building a new bridge was abandoned due to the high cost.
The main problem with strengthening the Tamar Bridge was that since it catered for around 40,000 vehicles a day, closing it for the duration was not a viable option. An engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
proposed temporarily adding cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
platforms to the sides of the bridge to accommodate traffic while the main deck was strengthened. Once this revolutionary technique had been accepted, it was soon decided that these two extra lanes should be permanent additions to the bridge in order to increase the number of lanes from three to five.
This additional capacity was not expected to encourage a large increase in the number of vehicles using the Tamar Bridge. The A38
A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
passes through the three-lane Saltash Tunnel
Saltash Tunnel
The Saltash Tunnel is a road tunnel on the A38 at Saltash in Cornwall, UK and was opened in 1988.The central lane operates as a reversible lane to cope with holiday and rush hour traffic and the speed limit is 30 mph. The tunnel is used by more than 38,000 motorists per day and is 410 m long...
on the Cornish side of the bridge (this acts as a subterranean bypass for Saltash and opened in 1988). The tunnel was expected to regulate the amount of traffic using the bridge despite the increased capacity. The real benefit of these extra lanes would be to make the Tamar Bridge safer and more pleasant for all types of traffic. Pedestrians and cyclists would be safer since they were properly separated from all motor vehicles. Also, local traffic eastbound from Saltash would no longer have to merge with the A38
A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
, eliminating a notorious accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
black spot.
Progress
The principal designer of the strengthening and widening of the Tamar Bridge was Hyder Consulting Ltd, and the principal contractor was Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd (who originally built the bridge). The overall cost was approximately GBPPound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
34 million (a fraction of the estimated GBP
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
300 million for a new bridge). This was funded from the revenue from tolls paid to cross the Tamar Bridge into Devon.
Work began on the Tamar Bridge in March 1999 and was completed, one month behind schedule, in December 2001. At one point the project was three months behind schedule. The delays were due both to an embargo on road works for the total solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
of 11 August 1999 which saw tourists flock to Cornwall, one of the few areas of the UK in the path of totality, and also due to extremely bad weather during the winter of 1999/2000.
The improved bridge was fully opened to traffic on 20 December 2001 (although it was never fully closed, in fact during peak hours every effort was made to keep three lanes open). The Tamar Bridge was officially reopened by Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
on 26 April 2002—forty years to the day after it was first officially opened.
Construction methods
The Tamar Bridge originally had a concreteConcrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
deck. This had degraded so seriously over its four decades of use that rather than simply being reinforced it was entirely replaced by an orthotropic
Orthotropic deck
An orthotropic bridge or orthotropic deck is one whose deck typically comprises a structural steel deck plate stiffened either longitudinally or transversely, or in both directions. This allows the deck both to directly bear vehicular loads and to contribute to the bridge structure's overall...
steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
deck (i.e. a deck formed from steel plates supported underneath by longitudinal ribs or stiffeners). The members were also strengthened by the addition of steelwork, and 18 new diagonal cable
Cable
A cable is two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics cables, otherwise known as wire ropes, are used for lifting, hauling and towing or conveying force through tension. In electrical engineering cables are used to carry...
stays were fitted. The two new cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
lanes were added to the bridge before the old concrete deck was replaced so as to be available to diverted traffic. At all times during the project, the importance of maintaining the flow of traffic over the bridge was emphasised. Even during construction work the Tamar Bridge served approximately 40,000 vehicles a week.
When modifying suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
s engineers have to be constantly aware of the distribution of weight. At first, steel may sound like an unlikely choice of construction material for the replacement deck, especially since the bridge will have to support five lanes of steel deck instead of the original three of concrete. However, even with the replacement steel deck and the addition of two cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
lanes, the new bridge weighs only 25 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s more than the original.
The new steel deck is formed from 82 orthotropic panels. Each panel weighs 20 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s, and measures 15 m by 6 m (approximately 49 ft by 20 ft). They were constructed in Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
by Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd and driven nearly 400 miles (over 600 km) to the Tamar Bridge and welded together on site.
Recognition
The Tamar Bridge is the world's first suspension bridgeSuspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
to be widened using cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
s, and the world's first bridge to be widened and strengthened while remaining open to traffic. The strengthening and widening project was:
- the winner of the highly prestigious British Construction Industry Civil EngineeringCivil engineeringCivil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
Award for 2002 http://www.bciawards.org.uk/. The BCIAs are widely considered to be one of the highest honours in the industry. - the winner of the Historic Structures category (30 years or older) of the Institution of Civil Engineers Awards 2002 http://www.ice.org.uk/
- one of eight finalists for the Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
's Better Public Building Award 2002 http://www.betterpublicbuildings.gov.uk/.
Engineers from around the world have been interested in the project. For example, Bill Moreau, the chief engineer for the New York State Bridge Authority
New York State Bridge Authority
The New York State Bridge Authority is a public benefit corporation in New York State, United States. The NYSBA was born out of the necessity for a bridge over the Hudson River to link the city of Hudson and the village of Catskill.-History:...
USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, has visited the newly reopened Tamar Bridge to examine the project with a view to adapting it for some of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's aging stock of suspension bridges.
A focus for protest
As a recognisable symbol of the local area, as well as the main road connection between CornwallCornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
and the rest of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the Tamar Bridge is often used for a focus for protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
s or charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
events.
Local commercial radio station Pirate FM
Pirate FM
Pirate FM is one of the Independent Local Radio stations for Cornwall, playing a range of music from the 1960's to the present day.-Background:...
held a charity fundraiser in April 2002, which involved redecorating the newly reopened Tamar Bridge. They hung a 563 m (1848 ft) clothesline along the entire span of the bridge, and decked it out with 1,000 pairs of underwear including knickers, panties, bloomers and thongs.
In March 1998, after the closure of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's last tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
South Crofty
South Crofty
South Crofty is a metalliferous Tin and Copper mine located in the village of Pool, Cornwall, England UK. An ancient mine, it has seen production for over 400 years, and extends almost two and a half miles across and down and has mined over 40 lodes. Evidence of mining activity in South Crofty has...
in Cornwall (which has since reopened), campaigners trying to raise the profile of Cornwall's economic crisis encouraged commuters to pay the £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1.00 toll in pennies
Penny
A penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:...
. Since the bridge serves 2,500 vehicles an hour in peak times, any scheme that slows down the process of paying tolls is likely to cause long tailbacks and make the news. This protest was also done when it was planned to raise the toll to £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
3.00. The plan was dropped, partly because of the problems that would inevitably result from counting up 300 pennies instead of 100.
On 23 January 2004, four protesters climbed onto the gantry over the Tamar Bridge to highlight the work of the group Fathers 4 Justice
Fathers 4 Justice
Fathers 4 Justice began as a fathers’ rights organisation in the United Kingdom. It became prominent and frequently discussed in the media following a series of high-visibility stunts and protests often in costume. It was temporarily disbanded in January 2006, following allegations of a plot by...
who promote the rights of fathers in child custody
Child custody
Child custody and guardianship are legal terms which are used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child.Following ratification of the United...
disputes. Similar protests for male custody rights in 2004 have also taken place on cranes next to Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
Crown Court
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
(in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
) and next to Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The bridge has unusually become such a cultural focus for its surrounding areas, including Plymouth and parts of Cornwall, that references to the bridge have often found their way into local expressions. Indeed, references to bridges in Plymouth circle almost exclusively around the bridge itself. The site has, over the years, become a focal point of many wishing to end their own life, possibly because the bridge covers an isolated part of the 6 km long Wolseley Road and the River Tamar
River Tamar
The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...
itself, making bodies difficult to find. Many expressions, for example, "Go jump in the Tamar!" as a euphemism for "Go away!", have developed around this.
Tamar Bridge Act of 1998
In the late 1850s there was a successful submission by the Duchy of CornwallDuchy of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch inherits the duchy and title of Duke of Cornwall at the time of his birth, or of his parent's succession to the throne. If the monarch has no son, the...
's Attorney General, Sir George Harrison, involving a dispute with the Crown over the latter’s claim to Cornwall’s foreshore. Harrison’s submission described Cornwall as a Palatine state that had always been held apart from England and that the entire jurisdiction of the Crown within Cornish borders was held by the Duke. In other words the reigning monarch’s writ did not extend to Cornwall and the ancient boundary fixed by Athelstan 900 years previously between Cornwall and Wessex was confirmed as the east bank of the river Tamar. This was confirmed more recently by the Tamar Bridge Act of 1998.
Signage
On the 8th of February 2008, two bi-lingual signs were put in place of the original sign welcoming visitors into Cornwall. They are situated on both pillars of the west bank on the Cornish side. They read "Welcome to Cornwall", "Kernow a'gas Dynergh". On the east bank the signs are in English and read "Welcome to Plymouth".External links
- Plymouth City Council
- Cornwall County Council
- Official Tamar Bridge website
- Official Torpoint Ferry website