1906: The Start of Operations for a Unique Type of Bridge in Wales

September 12, 1906

The Newport Transporter Bridge, which crosses the River Usk in the city of Newport in southeastern Wales, was officially opened. This structure is only one of a dozen transporter bridges still in existence today — a movable bridge that carries a segment of a roadway over a river that other types of bridges cannot easily span. The reasons for selecting such a design for that bridge at Newport included the fact that the river banks there are very low and an ordinary bridge would consequently need an unusually long approach ramp for just enough height to allow ships to pass underneath. 

The demand for constructing a bridge in that region of Wales in the first place arose from the need to better handle the rapid development on the east side of the river and more specifically to provide a means for employees at Lysaghts steelworks to make their way to that industrial plant. 

The Newport Transporter Bridge was designed by French engineer Ferdinand Arnodin. Those participating in the bridge’s grand debut included local resident Godfrey Charles Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar and a one-time British Army officer. A local alderman likewise on hand for the opening used the opportunity to call the new bridge a “giant, with the grace of Apollo and the strength of Hercules.” 

This bridge has since become a widely recognized symbol of the Welsh city where it resides. The structure has also appeared in a number of movies and TV shows, and was the site of an extravagant fireworks celebration welcoming the new millennium in 2000. 

Photo Credit: WelshDave (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)

For more information on the Newport Transporter Bridge, please check out https://structurae.net/en/structures/newport-transporter-bridge

A video of the opening of this bridge in 1906 is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qffzeXFsbDk

A video highlighting the specific operations of the Newport Transporter Bridge can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdEJ8O3CpUM