Click here to Vote Now

 Back

 Previous

Next

Old Severn Bridge
Some say that the only good thing to come out of England is the old Severn Bridge!

The Severn Bridge (Welsh: Pont Hafren) is the suspension bridge that forms part of the original Severn crossing. The bridge was opened by Queen Elizabeth II, who hailed it as the dawn of a new economic era for South Wales. The bridge is a 5240 feet (1597 metres) long suspension bridge of conventional design, with the deck supported by two main cables slung between two steel towers. The towers are approximately 400 feet above the river and are of hollow box construction. The deck is an orthotropic steel box girder of aerofoil shape with cantilevered cycle tracks and footway supported from the box. The shape of the bridge was determined by the designers Freeman, Fox and Partners following wind tunnel tests for the Forth Road Bridge, after the original wind tunnel model was accidentally destroyed. The Severn Bridge is in almost exactly the same location as the old Aust Ferry.

The bridge was granted Grade I listed status in 1998.

 Photographs © Andy Prosser. Click on any image for a larger view.