Wrought iron and stone (first bridge) Steel and concrete (second bridge)
Total length
1,510.25 ft (460.32 m)[1]
Height
221.25 ft (67.44 m)[1] to top of centre tower
Longest span
460 ft (140 m)[1]
No. of spans
Four
Piers in water
One
Clearance above
103 ft (31 m)[1] to bottom of rail deck
History
Designer
Robert Stephenson
Construction start
1846; 178 years ago (1846) (first bridge) 1972; 52 years ago (1972) (second bridge)
Construction end
1850; 174 years ago (1850) (first bridge) 1980; 44 years ago (1980) (second bridge)
Opened
1850; 174 years ago (1850) (rail, first bridge) 1974; 50 years ago (1974) (rail, second bridge) 1980 (road, second bridge)
Destroyed
May 23, 1970 (1970-05-23) (first bridge)
Closed
1974; 50 years ago (1974) (first bridge)
Location
Britannia Bridge (Welsh: Pont Britannia) is a bridge in Wales that crosses the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and city of Bangor. It was originally designed and built by the noted railway engineer Robert Stephenson as a tubular bridge of wrought iron rectangular box-section spans for carrying rail traffic. Its importance was to form a critical link of the Chester and Holyhead Railway's route, enabling trains to directly travel between London and the port of Holyhead, thus facilitating a sea link to Dublin, Ireland.[2]
Decades before the building of the Britannia Bridge, the Menai Suspension Bridge had been completed, but this structure carried a road rather than track; there was no rail connection to Anglesey before its construction. After many years of deliberation and proposals, on 30 June 1845, a Parliamentary Bill covering the construction of the Britannia Bridge received royal assent.[3] At the Admiralty's insistence, the bridge elements were required to be relatively high in order to permit the passage of a fully rigged man-of-war. In order to meet the diverse requirements, Stephenson, the project's chief engineer, performed in-depth studies on the concept of tubular bridges. For the detailed design of the structure's girders, Stephenson gained the assistance of distinguished engineer William Fairbairn. On 10 April 1846, the foundation stone for the Britannia Bridge was laid. The construction method used for the riveted wrought iron tubes was derived from contemporary shipbuilding practices; the same technique as used for the Britannia Bridge was also used on the smaller Conwy Railway Bridge. On 5 March 1850, Stephenson himself fitted the last rivet of the structure, marking the bridge's official completion.
On 3 March 1966, the Britannia Bridge received Grade II listed status.[4]
A fire in May 1970 caused extensive damage to the Britannia Bridge. Subsequent investigation determined that the damage to the tubes was so extensive that they were not realistically repairable. The bridge was rebuilt in a quite different configuration, reusing the piers while employing new arches to support not one but two decks, as the new Britannia Bridge was to function as a combined road-and-rail bridge. The bridge was rebuilt in phases, initially reopening in 1972 as a single-tier steel truss arch bridge, carrying only rail traffic. Over the next eight years more of the structure was replaced, allowing for more trains to run and a second tier to be completed. The second tier was opened to accommodate road traffic in 1980. The bridge was subject to a £4 million four-month in-depth maintenance programme during 2011. Since the 1990s, there has been talk of increasing road capacity over the Menai Strait, either by extending the road deck of the existing bridge or via the construction of a third bridge.
^ abcdClark, Edwin (1850). The Britannia and Conway tubular bridges With general inquires on beams and on the properties of materials used in construction, Vol. 2. Day & Son. pp. 540, 545, 585, 587.
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^CADW Summary Description of a Listed Building https://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/listedbuilding/FullReport?lang=&id=3674
BritanniaBridge (Welsh: Pont Britannia) is a bridge in Wales that crosses the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and city of Bangor. It was originally...
Thomas Telford and carries the A5 road, and the BritanniaBridge (Pont Britannia) a truss arch bridge which carries the North Wales Main Line and the...
tubular bridge is a bridge built as a rigid box girder section within which the traffic is carried. Famous examples include the original BritanniaBridge over...
requiring all traffic to cross via the nearby BritanniaBridge. On 28 February 2005, one carriageway of the bridge was closed for six months, restricting traffic...
The Menai Heritage Bridges Exhibition celebrates the Menai Suspension Bridge, built by Thomas Telford, and the BritanniaBridge, built by Robert Stephenson...
double-decked bridge. The upper level carries a railway, and the lower level is used for road traffic. Other examples include BritanniaBridge over the Menai...
of Anglesey, Wales. It is located on the Menai Strait, next to the BritanniaBridge. At the 2011 Census the population was 3,107, of whom 71% could speak...
the original BritanniaBridge across the Menai Strait was partially destroyed in a fire in 1970 and rebuilt as a two-tier truss arch bridge design. The...
mainland is spanned by the Menai Suspension Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford in 1826, and the BritanniaBridge, originally designed by Robert Stephenson...
current A55 BritanniaBridge. There were proposals for a tunnel in 2001, but these were deemed implausible. The first proposals for a bridge were made in...
The Runcorn Railway Bridge, Ethelfleda Bridge or BritanniaBridge crosses the River Mersey at Runcorn Gap between Runcorn and Widnes in Cheshire, England...
was hugely expensive, chiefly due to the cost of building the Britannia Tubular Bridge over the Menai Strait. The company had relied on Government support...
engineering structures, including Conwy railway bridge across the River Conwy, and BritanniaBridge across the Menai Strait. The first section from Crewe...
such as the BritanniaBridge in Wales, a design he would later use for the Victoria Bridge in Montreal, for many years the longest bridge in the world...
Holyhead is a dual carriageway primary route, with the exception of the BritanniaBridge over the Menai Strait and several short sections where there are gaps...
bridge. [...] Stonehenge is more scientifically constructed than York Minster." Use of arches in bridge construction continued (the BritanniaBridge was...
box girder original BritanniaBridge which connected Anglesey until damaged by fire and replaced with a different type of tall bridge. John Scott Russell...
the girders of his BritanniaBridge across the Menai Strait in the same year. From 1849 to 1853 Brunel was erecting an iron bridge of his own; the Chepstow...
which the traffic is carried. Examples include the BritanniaBridge and the Conwy Railway Bridge in the United Kingdom. A skyway is a type of urban pedway...
initially the terminus of the line from Holyhead before the opening of the BritanniaBridge to the mainland in 1850. It suffered a catastrophic fire on 13 November...
Lucha Britannia is a British lucha libre-style professional wrestling promotion based in Bethnal Green, London since 2006. Lucha Britannia was created...
This is a list of bridge failures. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005 novel): The fictional Brockdale Bridge, by the Death Eaters (replaced by...
in the United States, is approved. October 19 – Robert Stephenson's BritanniaBridge, completing the Chester and Holyhead Railway over the Menai Strait...
Brecon, Usk BridgeBritanniaBridge Briton Ferry Bridge, carries the M4 over the River Neath south of the town of Neath Cardiff, Cardiff Bridge Conwy Suspension...
popular use of the name is for the stretch between the BritanniaBridge and the Menai Bridge. It is notable for its difficulty in safely navigating its...
1970. In May of the same year, there was a catastrophic fire in the BritanniaBridge and the rail-borne container traffic was unable to connect Holyhead...
Global Information
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