The Cleddau Bridge (, ) in
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...
,
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
, carries the
A477 road
The A477 is a major road in Pembrokeshire, South Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire connecting St Clears and Johnston, Pembrokeshire, Johnston. Its route includes the Cleddau Bridge, a former toll bridge linking Pembroke Dock and Neyland.
From ...
over the
River Cleddau
The River Cleddau () consists of the Eastern and Western Cleddau rivers in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. They unite to form the Daugleddau estuary and the harbour of Milford Haven Waterway.
The name of the combined estuary – the Daugleddau � ...
between
Neyland
Neyland is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Cleddau and the upstream end of the Milford Haven estuary. The Cleddau Bridge carrying the A477 links Pembroke Dock with Neyland. In 2011 it had a population of 3,46 ...
and
Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock () is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau.
Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following the constr ...
.
Errors in the
box girder
A box girder or tubular girder (or box beam) is a girder that forms an enclosed tube with multiple walls, as opposed to an i-beam, - or H-beam. Originally constructed of wrought iron joined by riveting, they are now made of rolled steel, rolled ...
design caused the collapse during construction in 1970. The bridge became operational during 1975. The bridge is managed by
Pembrokeshire County Council.
History
Pembrokeshire is divided by the
Cleddau. Hobbs Point in
Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock () is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau.
Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following the constr ...
on the south side and
Neyland
Neyland is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Cleddau and the upstream end of the Milford Haven estuary. The Cleddau Bridge carrying the A477 links Pembroke Dock with Neyland. In 2011 it had a population of 3,46 ...
on the north side are less than apart across the waterway but to drive from one to the other, a journey of by road was required. Between 1858 and 1950, the Admiralty permitted operation of steam ferries between the two towns. From 1950, the County Council operated a ferry service, with capacity for 24 vehicles and 250 pedestrians.
A decision was taken in the 1960s to replace the ferry service: two bridges would be required, one crossing the Cleddau and a smaller bridge to the north of Neyland crossing Westfield Pill
creek.
Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners and Freeman Fox and Partners (now part of
Hyder Consulting) were appointed as joint consulting engineers and the contract to build the bridge was awarded to A.E. Farr Limited in September 1968 for £2.1 million.
The project was expected to be completed by March 1971 but on 2 June 1970 a cantilever being used to put one of the 150-tonne sections into position collapsed on the south side of the estuary. Four workers died and five were injured. Construction was halted until October 1972. The Merrison Committee of Inquiry into the Design and Erection of Steel Box Girder Bridges concluded that the cause of the collapse was the inadequacy of the design of a pier support diaphragm (a diaphragm of half the designed thickness was used),
but considered "the failure of site organisation between the parties as of more general significance". The committee believed that the only relevant Code of Practice relating to the design of steel bridges in the UK was inadequate for applications such as the Cleddau Bridge, and they implemented Interim Design and Workmanship Rules.
These rules laid the groundwork for a new
British Standard
British Standards (BS) are the standards produced by the BSI Group which is incorporated under a royal charter and which is formally designated as the national standards body (NSB) for the UK. The BSI Group produces British Standards under th ...
covering box girder bridge design. , the collapse during construction is the last major bridge disaster in the UK.
The final cost of construction was £11.83 million and the bridge was opened to traffic on 20 March 1975. The £7 million of overspend was attributed to design changes made due to the Merrison Committee's recommendations. This was covered by a £3 million out-of-court settlement between the County Council and the consulting engineers and a £4 million interest-free loan from the Government that was repayable over 40 years. 885,900 crossings were made during the bridge's first year in operation.
It was originally called the
Milford Haven Bridge.
The ferry service between Hobbs Point and Neyland ceased when the construction of the Cleddau Bridge was completed in 1975. The ferry ''Cleddau King'' was sold, modified by
Harland & Wolff
Harland & Wolff Holdings plc is a British shipbuilding and Metal fabrication, fabrication company headquartered in London with sites in Belfast, Arnish yard, Arnish, Appledore, Torridge, Appledore and Methil. It specialises in ship repair, ship ...
of Belfast and put into operation as a reserve
Portaferry–Strangford ferry in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
.
Formerly, tolls were collected on the south side of the bridge from traffic travelling in both directions. Toll booths with barriers were introduced in September 2004 to reduce the number of vehicles driving through without paying. The bridge has been toll-free since 28 March 2019.
Closures
The county council may close the bridge depending on wind speed, wind direction and the weather forecast. Vehicles taller than , bicycles and motorcycles are usually not permitted to cross the bridge when wind speeds exceed . The bridge is closed to all vehicles and pedestrians should wind speeds exceed . The council records the time the bridge is closed.
Memorial
A memorial plaque to the four men who died in the bridge collapse was unveiled on the 25th anniversary of the disaster in 1995, but was reported stolen in 2017.
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See also
* List of bridges in Wales
References
{{reflist
Box girder bridges in the United Kingdom
Bridges in Pembrokeshire
Road bridges in Wales
Former toll bridges in Wales
Pembroke Dock
1970 disasters in the United Kingdom