All Hail The Humber Bridge!

Today is June 24th and it was on this day in 1981 that traffic first crossed one of our favourite structures, the Humber Bridge, halving the journey from Hull to Grimsby.
Approval for the crossing came in 1959. Having concluded that construction of a tunnel would prove too costly and, with the navigable channels of the river changing constantly, that a pier supported bridge wouldn’t work, a single span suspension bridge was chosen. It was to be the longest of its kind in the world, a record it held for 16 years.
At Structural Engineers Reports we love an amazing structure and I make no excuses for singing the praises of this one. It is made up of three spans and its concrete towers are 36 mm further apart from each other at the top than at the bottom to allow for the curvature of the Earth. There is enough wire in the bridge to go around the moon more than six times and although it is now only the eighth longest single span suspension bridge in the world, it remains the longest that can be crossed by foot or by bike. In 2017 it was granted Grade 1 listed status by Historic England.
So, thanks to those pioneering civil and structural engineers, not only has the region been able to more fully realise its commercial and industrial potential, but emissions have been reduced and far less time has been wasted by having to make that 82 mile round trip.