Transporter bridge
Encyclopedia
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
is slung from a tall span by wire
Wire
A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...
s or a metal frame. The design has been used to cross navigable river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s or other bodies of water, where there is a requirement for ship traffic to be able to pass. This has been a rare type of bridge, with fewer than two dozen built. Just twelve, including one converted into a lift bridge
Lift bridge
A vertical-lift bridge or lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck....
and one designed as, but not yet operating as, a transporter bridge, continue to be used today.
History
The first transporter bridge, Vizcaya Bridge was built in Portugalete
Portugalete
Portugalete is a town lying to the west of Bilbao in the province of Biscay in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country, northern Spain.The town has 51,066 inhabitants and is part of Bilbao's metropolitan area. It is located at the mouth of the Estuary of Bilbao, on the left bank...
in Spain, in 1893. The design from Alberto Palacio
Alberto Palacio
Alberto de Palacio y Elissague was a Spanish engineer and architect born in Sare and grown up in Bilbao....
inspired others to attempt similar structures. The idea found use where it was seen as impractical to build the long approach ramps that would be required to reach a high span, and in places where 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...
are not easily able to cross. Because transporter bridges can carry only a limited load, the idea was little used after the rise of the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
.
The first such bridge built in France, the 1898 Rouen bridge crossing the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
, was destroyed by the French army to slow down German troops in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Transporter bridges were popular in France, where five were erected and another partially completed.
The United Kingdom has four transporter bridges, though Warrington Transporter Bridge
Warrington Transporter Bridge
The Warrington Transporter Bridge across the River Mersey is a structural steel transporter bridge with a span of 200 feet. It is 30 feet wide, and 76 feet above high water level, with an overall length of 339 feet...
is disused and the modern Royal Victoria Dock Bridge, though designed with the potential to be used as a transporter bridge, has so far only been used as a high-level footbridge. The Newport Transporter Bridge
Newport Transporter Bridge
The Newport Transporter Bridge is a transporter bridge that crosses the River Usk in Newport, South Wales. It is a Grade I listed structure. Designed by French engineer Ferdinand Arnodin, it was built in 1906 and opened by Godfrey Charles Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar on 12 September 1906...
was built in 1906 across the River Usk
River Usk
The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain of mid-Wales, in the easternmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially it flows north into Usk Reservoir, then east by Sennybridge to Brecon before turning southeast to flow by Talybont-on-Usk, Crickhowell and...
in Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
. Because the river banks are very low at the crossing point (a few miles south of the city centre) a traditional bridge would need a very long approach ramp and a ferry could not be used at low tide. The Newport bridge was a Ferdinand Arnodin
Ferdinand Arnodin
Ferdinand Joseph Arnodin was a French engineer and industrialist born in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, Rhône and deceased in Châteauneuf-sur-Loire in Loiret. Specialising in cableway transporters, he is regarded as the inventor of the transporter bridge, having been the first to patent the idea in 1887...
design. The Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge
Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge
The Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge or Tees Transporter Bridge is the furthest downstream bridge across the River Tees, England. It connects Middlesbrough, on the south bank, to Port Clarence, on the north bank. It is a transporter bridge, carrying a travelling 'car', or 'gondola', suspended from...
, crossing the River Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
, featured in the 2002 series of the popular British TV show Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven English migrant construction workers. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in Düsseldorf....
; the programme's plot had the bridge being dismantled and re-erected in Arizona, USA. The Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge
Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge
The Runcorn-Widnes Transporter Bridge crossed the river Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal linking the towns of Runcorn and Widnes. It was completed in 1905, it was Britain's first transporter bridge and the largest of its type ever built in the world. It continued in use until 1961 when it was...
, demolished in the early 1960s, was the first of its type in Britain, and the largest ever built.
In the United States, two such bridges were built. The first was the Aerial Bridge built in Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
in 1905, although the city had originally planned to build a vertical lift bridge at the site. The transporter design was used for about 25 years before the structure was reconfigured to lift a central span in 1930.
The second American transporter bridge was different from other designs and partially resembled gondola lift
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
s used in mountainous regions. The Sky Ride
Sky Ride
The Sky Ride was an attraction built for the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago, Illinois in 1933. It was a transporter bridge , designed by the bridge engineering firm Robinson & Steinman, that ferried people across the lagoon in the center of the fair...
was part of the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair ("Century of Progress
Century of Progress
A Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation...
"), it was taken down after standing for just two years. However, it was the longest bridge of this type ever built at the time.
Two historic transporter bridges survived in Germany. A unique example is the bridge at Rendsburg
Rendsburg
Rendsburg is a town on the River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the northeastern part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the Kreis of Rendsburg-Eckernförde. As of 2006, it had a population of 28,476.-History:...
, which is two bridges in one: A railroad link crosses high above on the top span, and the suspended ferry carries traffic on the valley floor.
The Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
built the longest known transporter bridge, two decades later, in Stalingrad (now Volgograd
Volgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
).
Surviving historic bridges
| Bridge | Location | Completed | Span | In Use? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerial Lift Bridge Aerial Lift Bridge The Aerial Lift Bridge is a major landmark in the port city of Duluth, Minnesota. The span is a vertical lift bridge, which is rather uncommon, but it began life as an extremely rare transporter bridge—the first of just two such bridges ever constructed in the United States... |
Duluth, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,... , USA |
1905 | 120 m | No | No longer a transporter bridge; converted into a lift bridge Lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck.... in 1929, in use. |
| Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge The Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge or Tees Transporter Bridge is the furthest downstream bridge across the River Tees, England. It connects Middlesbrough, on the south bank, to Port Clarence, on the north bank. It is a transporter bridge, carrying a travelling 'car', or 'gondola', suspended from... |
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire... , United Kingdom |
1911 | 180 m | Yes | Refitted motors in 2010. Still in use, not in high winds |
| Newport Transporter Bridge Newport Transporter Bridge The Newport Transporter Bridge is a transporter bridge that crosses the River Usk in Newport, South Wales. It is a Grade I listed structure. Designed by French engineer Ferdinand Arnodin, it was built in 1906 and opened by Godfrey Charles Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar on 12 September 1906... |
Newport Newport Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent... , United Kingdom |
1906 | 196.6 m | Yes | Re-opened on 30 July 2010 after closing completely in 2008 for a £2 million restoration. |
| Osten Transporter Bridge Osten Transporter Bridge Osten Transporter Bridge is an 80 metre long transporter bridge over the Oste River in Osten , Lower Saxony, Germany. It was built in 1908-9 and was in regular use until 1974 and is now only used as tourist attraction.... |
Osten Osten Osten is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Oste. Osten also means "East" in German.Osten belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180... , Germany |
1909 | 80 m | Yes | In use, but only as a tourist attraction. |
| Puente Transbordador Puente Transbordador Puente Transbordador is a transporter bridge in Buenos Aires, Argentina, it was completed in 1914... |
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent... , Argentina Argentina Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires... |
1914 | ? | No | Still in place but disused since 1947. |
| Rendsburg High Bridge Rendsburg High Bridge The Rendsburg High Bridge is a railway viaduct on the Neumünster–Flensburg line that also serves as a transporter bridge. The bridge crosses the Kiel Canal at Rendsburg in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein... |
Rendsburg Rendsburg Rendsburg is a town on the River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the northeastern part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the Kreis of Rendsburg-Eckernförde. As of 2006, it had a population of 28,476.-History:... , Germany |
1913 | 140 m | Yes | In use, only known combo railroad/transporter bridge. |
| Rochefort-Martrou Transporter Bridge Rochefort-Martrou Transporter Bridge Rochefort-Martrou Transporter Bridge is a transporter bridge built between 1898 and 1900 . It is located in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charente, France. Crossing the Charente River, it has a maximum height of 66.5 meters and a total length of 175.5 meters. It is a technical invention... |
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime Rochefort, Charente-Maritime Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:... , France |
1900 | 140 m | Yes | In use during the summer. This bridge may be seen in the film The Young Girls of Rochefort. |
| Vizcaya Bridge | Portugalete Portugalete Portugalete is a town lying to the west of Bilbao in the province of Biscay in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country, northern Spain.The town has 51,066 inhabitants and is part of Bilbao's metropolitan area. It is located at the mouth of the Estuary of Bilbao, on the left bank... , Spain |
1893 | 164 m | Yes | In use, declared in 2006 World Heritage Site by Unesco. |
| Warrington Transporter Bridge Warrington Transporter Bridge The Warrington Transporter Bridge across the River Mersey is a structural steel transporter bridge with a span of 200 feet. It is 30 feet wide, and 76 feet above high water level, with an overall length of 339 feet... |
Warrington Warrington Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens... , United Kingdom |
1916 | 57 m | No | Disused. Listed as an "ancient monument", but still at risk. (One of two originally at this site; the other, from 1905 did not survive.) |
New builds
| Bridge | Location | Completed | Span | In Use? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Victoria Dock Bridge | London, United Kingdom | 1998 | 128 m | No | Designed to allow use as a transporter bridge but currently only in use as a high-level footbridge. |
| Erlebnisbrücke | Near Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach , formerly known as Münchengladbach, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine half way between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border.... , Germany |
2003 | ~ 10 m | Yes | Human-powered small bridge. |
Former historic bridges
| Bridge | Location | Completed | Span | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bizerta/Brest Transporter Bridge | Bizerta, Tunisia Tunisia Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area... |
1898 | 109 m | Moved to Brest, France Brest, France Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon... in 1909, damaged 1944, demolished 1947. |
| Bordeaux Transporter Bridge | Bordeaux Bordeaux Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture... , France |
— | 400 m (total) |
Started 1910, but never completed. Demolished in 1942. |
| Devil's Dyke Transporter Bridge | Devil's Dyke Devil's Dyke, Sussex Devil's Dyke is a V-shaped valley on the South Downs Way in southern England, near Brighton and Hove. It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation.Devil's Dyke is on the way to Brighton and is a big hill at the side of the road.-Geological history:... , UK |
1894 | 198 m | Demolished 1909. |
| Kiel Transporter Bridge | Kiel Kiel Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the... , Germany |
1910 | 128 m | Demolished, 1923. |
| Marseille Transporter Bridge | Marseille Marseille Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of... , France |
1905 | 165 m | Destroyed, 1944. |
| Nantes Transporter Bridge | Nantes Nantes Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants.... , France |
1903 | 141 m | Demolished, 1958. |
| Rio de Janeiro Transporter Bridge | Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th... , Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
1915 | 171 m | Demolished, 1935. |
| Rouen Transporter Bridge | Rouen Rouen Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages... , France |
1898 | 142 m | Destroyed, 1940. |
| Sky Ride Sky Ride The Sky Ride was an attraction built for the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago, Illinois in 1933. It was a transporter bridge , designed by the bridge engineering firm Robinson & Steinman, that ferried people across the lagoon in the center of the fair... |
Chicago, Illinois, USA | 1933 | 564 m | Demolished, 1934. |
| Stalingrad Transporter Bridge | Volgograd Volgograd Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River... , Russia |
1955 | 874 m | Demolished. |
| Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge The Runcorn-Widnes Transporter Bridge crossed the river Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal linking the towns of Runcorn and Widnes. It was completed in 1905, it was Britain's first transporter bridge and the largest of its type ever built in the world. It continued in use until 1961 when it was... |
Widnes Widnes Widnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn... -Runcorn Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north... , United Kingdom |
1905 | 304 m | Demolished, 1961. |
See also
- Movable bridge for a list of other movable bridge types
External links
- BBC Article on the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge
- Warrington Transporter Bridge
- BBC Article on the Bridges of the River Tees
- Structurae: Transporter bridges The World of Transporter bridges
- http://acervos.ims.uol.com.br/cgi-bin/wxis.exe/iah/?IsisScript=iah/showFotografia.xis&environment=^d/iah/^c/home/ims/homolog/cgi-bin/iah/^b/home/ims/homolog/bases/iah/^siah/iah.xis^v2.5.3&id=A5P3F13-43.jpg
- Official Website of the Rochefort Transporter Bridge
