Severn Bridge
| Severn Bridge | |
|---|---|
The Severn Bridge seen from the English side of the river
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| Coordinates | 51°36′32″N 2°38′18″W / 51.6090°N 2.6384°WCoordinates: 51°36′32″N 2°38′18″W / 51.6090°N 2.6384°W |
| Carries | 4-lane M48 motorway National Cycle Route 4 |
| Crosses |
River Severn River Wye |
| Locale | South West England / South East Wales |
| Heritage status | Grade I listed |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Suspension bridge |
| Total length | 0.99 mi (1.6 km) |
| Height | 445 ft (136 m) |
| Longest span | 3,240 ft (988 m) |
| Clearance below | 154 ft (47 m) |
| History | |
| Constructed by | John Howard & Co., Sir William Arrol & Co., Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company and Dorman Long |
| Opened | 8 September 1966 |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | Car: £6.70 Van: £13.40 HGV: £20.00 Motorcycle: free Disabled-badge holder: free Cyclist: free Pedestrian: free |
 Severn Bridge
Location in Gloucestershire
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The Severn Bridge (Welsh: Pont Hafren), sometimes also called the Severn–Wye Bridge, is a motorway suspension bridge spanning the River Severn and River Wye between Aust, South Gloucestershire (just north of Bristol) in England, and Chepstow, Monmouthshire in South East Wales, via Beachley, Gloucestershire, a peninsula between the two rivers. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and Wales, and took three-and-a-half years to construct at a cost of £8 million. It replaced the Aust ferry.
The bridge was opened on 8 September 1966, by Queen Elizabeth II, who hailed it as the dawn of a new economic era for South Wales. The bridge was granted Grade I listed status on 26 November 1999.
From 1966 to 1996, the bridge carried the M4 motorway. Upon the completion of the Second Severn Crossing, the motorway from Olveston (England) to Magor (Wales) was renamed the M48.
The first proposal for a bridge across the Severn, approximately in the same location as that eventually constructed, was in 1824 by Thomas Telford, who had been asked to advise on how to improve mail coach services between London and Wales. No action was taken, and over the next few decades the railways became the dominant mode of long-distance travel, with the Severn Railway Bridge at Sharpness being opened in 1879 and the main line Severn Tunnel in 1886. However, the growth of road traffic in the early 20th century led to further calls for improvements, and in the early 1920s Chepstow Urban District Council convened a meeting of neighbouring local authorities to consider a Severn crossing to ease congestion and delays on the A48 passing through the town. In 1935 Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire County Councils jointly promoted a Parliamentary Bill to obtain powers to build the bridge over the estuary, with 75% of costs to be met by the Ministry of Transport from the Road Fund. However, the bill was rejected by Parliament after opposition from the Great Western Railway Company.
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Wikipedia