Severn Bridge

Last crawled date: 1 year, 10 months ago

The Severn Bridge was completed in 1966 as the first motorway link between England and Wales. It replaced a ferry service between Beachley and Aust. The bridge carried the M4 motorway until 1996 when a second bridge was opened downstream to relieve it following heavy use, and the road was redesignated the M48. The crossing consists of 4 separate structures, from east to west: the short Aust viaduct, the Severn Bridge (suspension), the Beachley viaduct and the Wye Bridge (cable-stayed). The suspension bridge, surprisingly, is entirely within England; the river Wye marks the border. The Severn estuary is 1.6 km (1 mile) wide at the crossing. The central span is 988m (3240 ft) and the towers are 138m (445 ft) high. The deck has a pioneering aerofoil cross-section to reduce wind resistance, and inclined hangers to increase the structural damping. Recently it has been painted white to reduce thermal loading, giving it an ethereal appearance at times. The Wye Bridge is 408m (1340 ft) long with central pylons supporting the roadway. High winds have been a problem for traffic, necessitating frequent closures of the bridges to high-sided vehicles. The crossing carries four lanes of traffic with a cycleway and footway. A toll is payable for vehicles travelling west. Strengthening works were carried out in the 1980s including replacement of the original hangers, but ongoing corrosion of the suspension cables leaves the bridge's long-term future in doubt. #aerofoil #airfoil #Aust #Beachley #border #bridge #cablestayed #Chepstow #corrosion #damping #deck #England #estuary #ferry #hangers #highway #motorway #orthotropic #piers #river #Severn #strengthening #suspension #toll #UK #viaduct #Wales #wind #Wye