February 12, 2010
Wilford Suspension Bridge, located in the city and unitary authority area of Nottingham in England’s region of East Midlands, was formally reopened at 12:30 p.m. to the public after an extensive restoration. This structure crosses the River Trent and actually serves as a combined suspension bridge and aqueduct. Wilford Suspension Bridge connects the town and administrative center of West Bridgford — the part of the section of the Borough of Rushcliffe that is within Nottingham — with the area of Nottingham that is known as the Meadows.
This bridge has been owned by Severn Trent plc since 1989; this company supplies freshwater and treats sewage for approximately eight million people residing in England’s regions of East Midlands and West Midands as well as a small portion of Wales.
Wilford Suspension Bridge was designed by Arthur Brown, who served as city engineer for Nottingham from 1880 to 1919. Originally called Welbeck Suspension Bridge, this structure was inaugurated in 1908. The principal reason for building the bridge in the first place was to transport water to Wilford Hill reservoir in West Bridgford, but it is now used to carry a gas pipeline as well. In addition, Wilford Suspension Bridge has become a heavily used crossing for pedestrians and cyclists over the years.
In July 2008, this bridge was temporarily closed to walking and cycling in order to perform major repairs and renovations. When that work was finally completed about 18 months later, the crossing was again made available for non-motorized means of transportation.
“We’re pleased that at long last we can reopen the bridge,” confirmed Fraser Pithie, senior operations manager or Severn Trent. “We appreciate that it has been a frustrating wait for people, particularly with the delays we encountered when it became clear the repair work required was going to be even more comprehensive and costly than we had first envisaged.” Pithie further noted, “While the bridge isn’t primarily intended for pedestrian use, we know it has become popular with the local community, and we’re pleased to be able to once more offer the bridge as a crossing route for walkers and cyclists.”
(The accompanying photo of individuals making their way across Wilford Suspension Bridge was taken just a few weeks after its reopening in 2010.)
Photo Credit: Alan Murray-Rust (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en)
For more information on Wilford Suspension Bridge, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilford_Suspension_Bridge
Transportation History 
Leave a comment