Cleddau Bridge
| Cleddau Bridge | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Carries | A477 traffic, pedestrians and bicycles |
| Crosses | River Cleddau |
| Locale | Pembrokeshire, West Wales |
| Maintained by | Pembrokeshire County Council |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Box girder |
| Total length | 0.51 miles (0.82km) |
| History | |
| Opened | 20 March 1975 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 10,905 |
| Toll | £0.75 (Cars & vans) £1.50 (Larger vehicles) |
The Cleddau Bridge (Welsh: Pont Cleddau) is a toll bridge on the A477 road that spans the River Cleddau between Neyland and Pembroke Dock, Wales. It was originally called the Milford Haven Bridge.
Errors in the box girder design caused it to collapse during its construction in 1970. The bridge became operational during 1975. That year the ferry Cleddau King was sold, modified by Harland and Wolff of Belfast and put into operation on the Portaferry - Strangford Ferry service across Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland instead.
Toll booths are located on the Pembroke Dock side of the bridge. As of December 2014[update] the toll is £0.75 for cars & vans and £1.50 for buses and lorries over 2 tonnes; cycles and pedestrians are free of charge. The bridge is operated by Pembrokeshire County Council.
Prior to the bridge, the river Cleddau divided Pembrokeshire. The towns of Pembroke Dock on the south side and Neyland on the north side were less than 1 mile (1.6 km) apart across the water but a 28 miles (45 km) journey was required to travel between them via road. Between 1858 and 1950 the Admiralty permitted operation of steam ferries between the two towns. From 1950 to 1975, the County Council operated a ferry service, with capacity for 24 vehicles and 250 pedestrians.
A decision was taken in the 1960s to replace the ferry service: two bridges would be built. One crossing the Cleddau river and a smaller bridge crossing the Westfield Pill creek. Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners and Freeman Fox and Partners (now part of Hyder Consulting) were appointed as joint consulting engineers and the contract to build the bridge was awarded to A.E. Farr Limited in September 1968 for £2.1 million.
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