Newport Transporter Bridge

I needed some fresh food stuffs so chose Newport. Just around the corner is Newport City's premier landmark, The Transporter Bridge. I never tire of photographing it as it can look so different depending on the angle and weather. The blip photo shows the car transporter in use as it travels from the Pill area to Stephenson Street Industrial Esate on the opposite side of the River Usk.

If you are interested, here's the history.....

The bridge was designed by French engineer Ferdinand Arnodin. It was built in 1906 and opened by Godfrey Charles Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar on 12 September 1906.

The design was chosen because the river banks are very low at the desired crossing point (a few miles south of the city centre) where an ordinary bridge would need a very long approach ramp to attain sufficient height to allow ships to pass under, and a ferry could not be used during low tide at the site.

The height of the towers is 242 feet and the height of the horizontal beam above the road is 177 feet The transporter platform or gondola travels the 645 feet (196.6 m) between the towers at ten feet per second, powered from the engine room. This Transporter Bridge is the largest of the eight which remain worldwide, and the oldest of its type in Britain.

It is considered the largest transporter bridge in limited terms only.When compared with Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge the Newport Transporter is: 16 feet taller; but 200 feet less in total deck span (discounting the anchor cables).

Today, the bridge is widely regarded as the most recognisable symbol of the city of Newport.

Travel across the bridge is 50p for cyclists and pedestrians, the fare for cars (as of March 2013) being £1. The walkway across the top of the bridge structure is open to the public on most operating days and bank holidays. A Day Visitor ticket giving access to high level walkway and motor house is £2.50 or £1.50 for concessions and children.

The bridge was shut down in 1985 because of wear and tear. Following a £3 million refurbishment, it reopened in 1995. Service was suspended again in December 2008 with the bridge facing a £2 million repair bill. £1.225 million was spent on refurbishment, financed by grants from the Welsh Assembly, Newport Council and Cadw. It re-opened on 30 July 2010.

I plan to walk across the top again later in the year when the weather is good as the views are phenomenal.