Itchen Bridge
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Itchen Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 50°53′56″N 1°23′05″W / 50.8988°N 1.3847°W |
| Carries | A3025 road (2 lanes) |
| Crosses | River Itchen |
| Locale | Southampton |
| Owner | Southampton City Council |
| Preceded by | Northam Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | High-level hollow box girder |
| Total length | 800 metres (870 yd) |
| Height | 28 metres (92 ft) |
| Clearance above | open |
| History | |
| Engineering design by | Kier Limited |
| Construction cost | £12.174 million |
| Opened | 13 July 1977 |
| Inaugurated | 22 March 1974 |
| Replaces | Woolston Floating Bridge |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | variable (based on vehicle type) |
| Location | |
 | |
The Itchen Bridge is a bridge over the River Itchen in Southampton, Hampshire. It is a high-level hollow box girder bridge. It is located about a mile from the river mouth. The bridge spans 870 yards (800 m), is 92 feet (28 m) at its highest point and weighs 62,000 tons.[citation needed] The bridge connects the A3025 Portsmouth Road to Southampton. It was built to replace the former chain ferry, known as the Floating Bridge, that crossed the river at that point.
The bridge was opened by HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon Mrs Angus Ogilvy on 13 July 1977,[1] although it had been open to public foot traffic since 31 May 1977 when Mrs Edith Parks became the first person to cross it. The bridge's set of blue energy-saving lights can be seen from up to 5 miles (8.0 km) down Southampton Water from the bridge.
As part of the bridge's maintenance eight expansion joints were replaced in March 2016.[2]
Toll
At the Woolston end a toll booth operates daily. Southampton City Council levy a variable toll,[3] depending on vehicle type and time of day of crossing. The toll was originally charged in order to help pay the £12.174 million it cost to build. The toll succeeded in this some years ago,[4] but the toll remains to control the traffic in the areas surrounding the bridge.
On 21 December 2010, it was announced that an automatic toll system would replace the staffed booth, saving over £200,000 annually. This system measures the height of the front of the vehicle and number of front wheels to judge the applicable toll for that vehicle.
See also
Gallery
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The Itchen Bridge taken from the site where the Supermarine works used to be -
Under the Itchen Bridge -
Samaritans notice and intercom on top of the Itchen Bridge -
A shot of Itchen Bridge as seen from Woolston Jetty on a foggy evening -
New lights over Itchen Bridge said to reduce power consumption by 20% -
New Lights on Itchen bridge -
Itchen Bridge opened by HRH Princess Alexandra 13 July 1977
Footnotes
- ^ History of the Bridge
- ^ "Essential works to Itchen Bridge". southampton.gov.uk. Southampton City Council. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- ^ Toll charges
- ^ Itchen Bridge Tolls Review: Report of the County Surveyor
External links
