For the Ontario community, see Severn Bridge, Ontario.

The Severn Bridge (Welsh: Pont Hafren) is a suspension bridge that spans the River Severn from South Gloucestershire, just north of Bristol, to Monmouthshire in south Wales, via Beachley, a peninsula between the Severn and Wye estuaries. It is the original Severn crossing between England and Wales and took five years to construct at a cost of £8 million. 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 in 1998.^[1] Image File history File links Old_severn_bridge_small. ... The M4 motorway is a motorway in Great Britain linking London with Wales. ... Rogiet is a village in Monmouthshire, Wales. ... The M48 is a small motorway in England and Wales that includes the original Severn Bridge. ... The M48 is a small motorway in England and Wales that includes the original Severn Bridge. ... “Severn” redirects here. ... South West England is one of the regions of England. ... This article is about the country. ... A suspension bridge is a type of bridge that has been created since ancient times as early as 100 AD. Simple suspension bridges, for use by pedestrians and livestock, are still constructed, based upon the ancient Inca rope bridge. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) is a generic and formal designation in British English for classification of large road vehicles intended to carry goods. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Severn Bridge, Ontario is a small community in the District of Muskoka in the province of Ontario, in Canada. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... A suspension bridge is a type of bridge that has been created since ancient times as early as 100 AD. Simple suspension bridges, for use by pedestrians and livestock, are still constructed, based upon the ancient Inca rope bridge. ... “Severn” redirects here. ... South Gloucestershire is a local government area in South West England. ... This article is about the English city. ... Monmouthshire (Welsh: ) is both a historic county and principal area in south-east Wales. ... This article is about the country. ... Beachley is a village in Gloucestershire, near the border of Wales. ... A peninsula in Croatia A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered on three or more sides by water. ... River Wye and Lancat and Ban y Gore Nature Reserve The Wye at Hay-on-Wye The Wye at Tintern This article is about the river that flows along the Anglo-Welsh border. ... The Severn crossing is generally used to refer to two river crossings over the River Severn between England and Wales. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... “GBP” redirects here. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... For other meanings see Economy (disambiguation). ... The Forth Bridge, designed by Sir Benjamin Baker and Sir John Fowler, opened in 1890, and now owned by Network Rail, is designated as a Category A listed building by Historic Scotland. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

Location

Although the Severn Bridge can only be used for crossing between England and Wales, it is located wholly within England. This is because the "Welsh" end of the bridge itself is located above the Beachley peninsula, which modern boundaries place in England. The border with Wales bissects the Wye bridge, slightly further north along the route.

The ancient Offa's Dyke placed the Beachley peninsula in Wales. Rough cross-section of Offas Dyke, showing how it was designed to protect Mercia against attacks/raids from Powys. ...

Component structures

The Severn Bridge crossing consists of several structures, which, listed in order from England to Wales, are: the Aust Viaduct, Severn Bridge, Beachley Viaduct and Wye Bridge.

Aust Viaduct

The Aust Viaduct is a twin box girder structure with a concrete deck, which carries the roadway to the first gravity anchorage of the old Severn Bridge. The roadway is then carried over the top of the concrete anchorage to the Severn Bridge. This page is related to transport; you may be looking for the 2002 Bollywood movie Road. ...

Severn Bridge

Severn Bridge looking north, Jan 2006

The Severn Bridge is located close to the former Aust Ferry. 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 length of the central span (between the towers) is 3240 feet (988 m). The towers rise to 445 feet (136 m) above mean high water 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 sections of the deck were built at Fairfield-Mabey in Chepstow, each 132 tonne section was then floated down the river before being hoisted into position. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1390x1957, 502 KB) Summary Photograph taken by me (Euchiasmus) of the Severn Bridge looking north from the English side, January 2006. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1390x1957, 502 KB) Summary Photograph taken by me (Euchiasmus) of the Severn Bridge looking north from the English side, January 2006. ... The Aust Ferry was a ferry service that operated across the River Severn in Gloucestershire, England. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... Look up deck in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Fabricating an orthotropic deck section An orthotropic bridge or orthotropic deck is one whose deck typically comprises a structural steel deck plate stiffened either longitudinally or transversely, or in both directions. ... This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ... An airfoil (or aerofoil in British English) is a specially shaped cross-section of a wing or blade, used to provide lift or downforce, depending on its application. ... A schematic image of two cantilevers. ... The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. ... , Chepstow (Welsh: Cas-gwent) is a border town straddling the Wales—England (Monmouthshire—Gloucestershire) border, situated at the confluence of the River Wye and River Severn on the Severns west bank. ...

Beachley Viaduct

The Beachley Viaduct is also of similar box girder construction as the Severn Bridge but is supported on steel trestles as it crosses the Beachley peninsula. The peninsula contains an army camp, which the bridge crosses. Look up Girder in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

Wye Bridge

The Wye Bridge is a 1340 ft (408 m) long cable-stayed bridge, which crosses the border marked by the River Wye into Wales, 3 km south of Chepstow. It consists of a single large cable stayed section with two single-leg pylons supporting the bridge deck from the centre of the roadway. The deck is an orthotropic box girder similar to the Severn Bridge but has a different appearance as it has two sets of cable stays on each of two towers (originally there was only one set of cable stays but these were replaced during the strengthening works in the late 1980s). A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns (normally referred to as towers or pylons), with cables supporting the bridge deck. ... River Wye and Lancat and Ban y Gore Nature Reserve The Wye at Hay-on-Wye The Wye at Tintern This article is about the river that flows along the Anglo-Welsh border. ... “km” redirects here. ... , Chepstow (Welsh: Cas-gwent) is a border town straddling the Wales—England (Monmouthshire—Gloucestershire) border, situated at the confluence of the River Wye and River Severn on the Severns west bank. ... Fabricating an orthotropic deck section An orthotropic bridge or orthotropic deck is one whose deck typically comprises a structural steel deck plate stiffened either longitudinally or transversely, or in both directions. ... Look up Girder in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Post-construction changes

The Severn Bridge crossing was strengthened and resurfaced in the late 1980s as the weight of traffic grew. The work included the strengthening of the Severn Bridge towers and deck, an extension to the existing Wye Bridge towers and the replacement of the original single stays with two stays. The open structure of the new stays is designed to facilitate maintenance. Most of the strengthening work was inside the deck box or towers and so is not visible. The surfacing is a thin layer (about 35 mm) of mastic asphalt over an acrylic waterproofing membrane. A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... Asphalt is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits. ...

The road is only two carriageways of two lanes in each direction, and as traffic volumes grew it became a major bottleneck. At its peak, it was carrying 50 000 vehicles a day. The burden of maintenance also became unmanageable, so that by the 1990s a second Severn crossing was necessary. Since the construction of the second bridge, the original crossing carries 15 000 vehicles day, 25% of the total traffic traversing the estuary. For the band, see 1990s (band). ... The Severn Bridge (Welsh: Pont Hafren) and the Second Severn Crossing (Welsh: Ail Groesfan Hafren) are two large bridges crossing the River Severn between England and Wales. ...

Toll

Shortly after the opening of the Severn Bridge, Anglo-Welsh poet Harri Webb wrote an Ode on the Severn Bridge:^[2] Anglo-Welsh poetry is a subset of Anglo-Welsh literature. ... Harry Webb {1920 - 31 December 1994 was an Anglo-Welsh writer. ...

Two lands at last connected

Across the waters wide,

And all the tolls collected

On the English side.

The toll is indeed collected on the English side, and only on vehicles travelling westwards from England to Wales, leading some people describing it as a "tax on entering Wales", both in jest, and also as a more serious anti-toll campaign.^[3] Originally, tolls were charged in both directions, but the arrangements were changed in the early 1990s to eliminate the need for a set of toll booths for each direction of travel and the potential for traffic waiting to pay the toll backing up onto the bridge itself. For other uses, see Humour (disambiguation). ...

As of January 2007, the toll is £5.10 for a car, increasing to £15.30 for a heavy goods vehicle.^[4] Motorcycles and disabled badge holders are exempt from the tolls, although both must stop at the toll booths to have their eligibility confirmed. The tolls for the Second Severn Crossing are the same (although in this case, the tolls are collected on the Welsh side, the longer approach viaducts making queueing on the bridge less of an issue). A system known as the Severn TAG made by Amtech is also in operation, which allows drivers to pay electronically without having to stop at the toll booths. TAGs are available either on a per-trip or a seasonal basis, although only the latter attracts a discount. The cycle path and footpath, which run along either side of the roadway, may be used free of charge. Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) is a generic and formal designation in British English for classification of large road vehicles intended to carry goods. ... The Severn TAG logo, used at toll collection area to indicate a TAG payment lane The Severn TAG is a payment system for collecting bridge tolls for drivers using either the Severn Bridge Crossing or the Second Severn Crossing over the Severn Estuary between England and Wales. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Roper Industries. ...

Trivia & myths

The bridge won a Civic Trust Award for 1968

• It is often claimed that in the movie Star Wars (1977), "the sounds of the lasers were made by striking one of the suspension wires of the original Severn Bridge. The longer ones were used for the ships while the shorter ones were used for the hand guns."^[5] This is untrue and Ben Burtt the Sound Designer for Star Wars describes the actual location used on the FilmSound.org website.^[6]
• For the rock band Marillion's album Brave (1994), singer Steve Hogarth used a concept that was inspired by a radio broadcast from the Bristol Police. Quoting Steve Hogarth: "The police had picked up a young woman wandering on the Severn Bridge who refused or was unable to speak to them. In desperation the appeal was broadcast to the general public in an attempt to discover her identity." Hogarth heard it on the radio, and several years later it inspired him while he and the band were working on what was to become the Brave album.
• On 1 February 1995, Richey James Edwards, the former guitarist and key lyricist for the Welsh based rock band Manic Street Preachers disappeared and was never seen again. Though it has been debated whether or not the musician, who had a well-documented history of self-harm, took his own life, his car was found several days later in a motorway service station near the Severn Bridge, which has since its construction acquired notoriety for being a suicide spot.
• The bridge opened on 8 September 1966, the same day as the first airing of the original Star Trek TV series in the United States

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 797 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (875 × 658 pixel, file size: 584 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 797 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (875 × 658 pixel, file size: 584 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... The Civic Trust of England and Wales is a charitable organisation founded in 1957. ... This article is about the series. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Ben Burtt (born July 12, 1948 in Syracuse, New York) is the archetypal sound designer (a term he invented) and sound editor for many famous and noteworthy films, as well as directing an Oscar-nominated documentary. ... This article is about the series. ... Marillion is a British Rock group. ... After the relatively weak predeccessor, Marillion figured it was time to go back to their roots and make a more progressive rock oriented album again. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Steve Hogarth (born Ronald Steven Hoggarth on May 14, 1956 in Kendal) also known as h, is a vocalist with the band Marillion. ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Richey James Edwards (born Richard James Edwards, 22 December 1967) was the co-lyricist and guitarist of the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... Manic Street Preachers (often known colloquially as The Manics) are a Welsh rock band often associated with the Britpop scene, who gained mainstream popularity in the UK in the late 1990s. ... Self-harm (SH) is deliberate injury to ones own body. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ...

40 years old - inspections

During its 40th year of operation, the bridge was inspected to check for corrosion of the suspension cables. According to the Highways Agency,^[7] the inspection concluded that the bridge needed restrictions on heavy goods vehicles.^[8] Such vehicles are now restricted to one lane on the bridge, with weight restriction signs in place. A system of installing a rubber casing on the cables with dry air circulation is to be used on the Forth Road Bridge and a similar system may be implemented on the Severn Bridge, in a move to halt the progress of the corrosion.^[9] The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in the United Kingdom. ... The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. ...

Severn Bridge panorama, 2002

Image File history File links The Severn Bridge, Bristol, England,witch was taken by Adrian Pingstone in 2002 and released to the public domain. ... Image File history File links The Severn Bridge, Bristol, England,witch was taken by Adrian Pingstone in 2002 and released to the public domain. ...

See also

• Severn crossing
• List of Severn bridges

The Severn crossing is generally used to refer to two river crossings over the River Severn between England and Wales. ... This page lists some of the bridges (more than 90) that cross the River Severn in Britain, in order from source to mouth. ...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in the United Kingdom. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 66th day of the year (67th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Severn River Crossing PLC
• Severn Bridge in the Structurae database
• ST58NE Aust M4 motorway - Images of England (photos of listed buildings)
• Bridge celebrates 40th birthday (video), BBC News, 8 September 2006
• Archive pictures of the bridge being built (BBC)
• Video of the Queen opening the bridge in 1966 (BBC)
• Webcams on the Severn Bridge (BBC)
• River Severn Bridges
• Motorway Database: M48

Structurae is an on-line database containing works of structural and civil engineering of all kinds such as Bridges, High-rise buildings, towers, dams, etc. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Pictures

• Aerial shot of Severn Bridge
• Severn Bridge at sunset
• Wye Bridge
• Wye Bridge
• Wye Bridge