The High Level Bridge is a notable road and railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Gateshead, in North East England.
Designed by Robert Stephenson and completed in 1849, it is the first major example of a wrought iron tied arch or bow-string girder bridge. The High Level Bridge has six spans of 125 feet (38 m), sitting on masonry piers of 130 feet (40 m) height. The single carriageway road occupies the lower deck of the spans, and the railway the upper deck. The lower deck also provides pedestrian walkways.
Stephenson's High Level Bridge was designed after his equally innovative Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait; and was to influence Isambard Kingdom Brunel in his design of the Royal Albert Bridge across the River Tamar at Saltash.
A speed restriction of 20 mph (32 km/h) is currently applicable to road traffic to prolong the structure's stability.
The bridge is currently closed to all traffic while Network Rail perform essential maintenance to ensure the bridge's long-term future. It is expected to reopen in late-2005.
Reference
- Charles Matthew Norrie (1956). Bridging the Years - a short history of British Civil Engineering. Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd.
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