Newport Transporter Bridge

The remarkable Newport Transporter Bridge (Canvas Print) is one of only six operational transporter bridges left world wide from a total of twenty constructed.

In 1900 Newport was a very busy port, much of it centred up river from where the Transporter Bridge now stands. Industry was expanding on the east side of the river which, for the population largely based on the west side, meant a 4 mile walk to cross the river by the town bridge to get to work.

A ferry operated but the ever changing times of the tide and its extreme rise and fall meant this was not a practical method of crossing for work - there had also been a number of fatal accidents. The Borough Engineer, Robert Haynes, had heard of the new innovative bridges being built on the continent and encouraged the council to visit the newly built transporter bridge at Rouen in France.

A transporter bridge offered an economical solution as tunnelling was technically difficult and expensive and a conventional bridge required a very long approach ramp to gain enough height to maintain a waterway for the tall ships of the day. Parliamentary approval to build the bridge was sought and secured in 1900 and work began in 1902.

Haynes and Arnodin were appointed joint engineers and the contract to build the bridge was given to Alfred Thorne of Westminster. The bridge cost £98,000 to complete and was opened on September 12 1906 by Lord Tredegar of Tredegar House and has dominated the Newport skyline since.