The Humber Bridge is the fourth-largest single-span suspension bridge in the world, near Kingston upon Hull in England. It spans the Humber estuary between Barton-upon-Humber on the south bank and Hessle on the north bank, connecting Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

Plans for a bridge were originally drawn up in the 1930s, and were revised in 1955, but work did not begin until 1972. The bridge was finally opened officially by the Queen on 17 July 1981. The consulting engineers for the project were Freeman Fox & Partners.

For the 17 years from the date of opening, the Humber Bridge was the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world, with a centre span of 1,410 metres. Its total length is 2,220 metres.

Bridge Statistics

The bridge's surface takes the form of a dual carriageway with a lower-level footpath on both sides, traffic however is often reduced to one lane both ways, with a speed limit of 50mph in operation.

Each tower consists of a pair of hollow vertical concrete columns, each 155.5 metres tall and tapering from 6 metres square at the base to 4.5 x 4.75 metres at the top. The bridge is designed to tolerate constant motion and bends more than three metres in winds of 80 mph (36 m/s). The towers, although both vertical, are not parallel, being 36 mm further apart at the top than the bottom as a result of the curvature of the earth.

The north tower is on the bank, and has foundations down to 8 metres. The south tower is in the water, and descends to 36 metres as a consequence of the shifting sandbanks that make up the estuary.

There is sufficient wire in the suspension cables to circle the Earth nearly twice.

The bridge held the record for the world's longest single-span suspension bridge for 16 years from its opening in June 1981 until the opening of the Great Belt Bridge in June 1997, and later became the world's third longest single-span suspension bridge with the opening of the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in April 1998. It is now the fourth longest single-span suspension bridge after Runyang Bridge (China) which opened in 2005.

The road-distance between Hull and Grimsby was reduced by nearly 50 miles as a consequence of the bridge, which has a toll of £2.70 (as of 23rd April 2006) for cars. Prior to the bridge's opening, commuters would go from one bank to the other either by using the ferry that ran from Hull to New Holland, Lincolnshire or driving via the M62, M18 and M180 motorways, crossing the River Ouse near Goole (connected to the Humber) in the process.

The Future

Plans are being considered to cage the walkways on the bridge, as a result of two suicides and the case of a West Yorkshire woman and her two-year-old daughter who fell off the bridge in 2005 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/4085000.stm . A second suicide, this time involving a mother killing herself and her 12-year old mentally handicapped son, occurred in April 2006.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/4958012.stm

Debt

In 1996, the British Parliament passed the Humber Bridge (Debts) Act 1996 to reorganise the Humber Bridge Board's debts in order to ensure the Bridge could be safely maintained. The Act wrote off over £400m of debt.

A Private Member's Bill - sponsored by Cleethorpes Labour MP Shona McIsaac - relating to the Humber Bridge, is currently going through Parliament. The Humber Bridge Bill would make amendments to the Humber Bridge Act 1959 "requiring the secretary of state to give directions to members of the Humber Bridge Board regarding healthcare and to review the possibility of facilitating journeys across the Humber Bridge in relation to healthcare". The aim is to allow people who are travelling from the Southbank to the Northbank for medical treatment to cross the bridge without paying the toll, and to allow the Secretary of State for Transport to appoint two members of the Humber Bridge board to represent the interests of the NHS. The Bill has received cross-party support, is co-sponsored by Shadow Home Secretary David Davis, and supported by all other MPs representing North Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire. Macmillan Cancer Relief has also added its support.

External links

* Humber Bridge Board
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* Satellite photo from Google Maps
* Yorkshire Post: MP in Commons move to exempt hospital patients from bridge toll

Category:Suspension bridges
Category:Bridges in the East Riding of Yorkshire
Category:Bridges in Lincolnshire
Category:Hull
Category:Visitor attractions in Hull
Category:Bridges completed in 1981
Category:Toll bridges in the United Kingdom