Queen Alexandra Bridge

Friends called around today to take me for lunch.  Nice idea.  My second outing since December 12th.  Lovely food but most uncomfortable seats and tonight my knee is suffering.  A bridge too far perhaps?

We crossed this on the way into town, the Queen Alexandra Bridge commissioned  by the North Eastern Railway and Sunderland Corporation  in 1899 to cross the River Wear at Sunderland. It  improved the transport of coal from pits in County Durham to Sunderland South Docks.

The design is double decked, the upper one for rail and the lower for wheeled transport. Built by Sir William Arrol & Co, Mitchell Bros of Glasgow constructed the lengthy abutments.  Taking 4 years to build it took 8,500 tonnes of steel, 4,500 tonnes of Norwegian rock-faced granite, 60,000 tonnes of Dumfriesshire red sandstone and 350,000 bricks. The Earl of Durham performed the official opening on behalf of Queen Alexandra on 10th June 1909.

Upstream a new crossing is under construction.  And about time too!