Menai Suspension Bridge
Coordinates: 53 ° 13 ′ 11 " N , 4 ° 9 ′ 47" W.
| Menai Suspension Bridge | ||
|---|---|---|
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| use | Road traffic | |
| Convicted |
 London - Holyhead
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| Subjugated | Menaistraße | |
| place | Bangor , Menai Bridge | |
| construction | Chain bridge with approach bridges | |
| overall length | 521 m | |
| Longest span | 177 m | |
| height | 30 m | |
| start of building | 1818 | |
| opening | 1826 | |
| planner | Thomas Telford | |
| location | ||
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The Menai Suspension Bridge is a chain bridge between the island of Anglesey and mainland Wales . It connects the places Bangor and Menai Bridge .
prehistory
Before the bridge was completed in 1826, there was a ferry connection or a footpath through the tidal flats at low tide to get to the offshore island. After the Act of Union 1800 , the treaty unification of Ireland with the Kingdom of Great Britain , trade between the two countries grew rapidly. However, since the main connecting port of Holyhead is on Anglesey, it was decided to connect this island to the mainland with a bridge.
The British builder Thomas Telford was entrusted with the task of improving the road link from London to Holyhead . A key element of the project was the construction of a suspension bridge over the Menai Strait between Bangor on the mainland and what was then the village of Porthaethwy on Anglesey, now known as the Menai Bridge. In order not to block the passage for sailing ships , the bridge was designed for a passage height of 30 m.
Creation of the bridge
Construction of the bridge began in 1819 with the construction of the brick towers on both sides of the strait . After completion, 16 chain cables were drawn between the pillars, the links of which consisted of 935 eye sticks , which were supplied by William Hazledine from his forge . As corrosion protection for the cables was linseed oil used. The bridge was opened on January 30, 1826, shortening the journey from London to Holyhead by 9 hours. Since the suspension bridge exceeded all previous bridges of this type of construction due to its span of 176 m, the Menai Bridge is called the first modern suspension bridge in the world. The Welsh poet David Owen dedicated an epic poem to her in 1835.
Repair of the bridge
Despite the heavy tracks, there were aerodynamic problems with the slender wooden deck. Due to wind damage, the bridge's roadway therefore required extensive repair work in 1839 , and in 1893 the wooden ceiling was replaced with a ceiling made of iron girders. Over the years, the bridge's load capacity, which was limited to 4.5 t, proved to be too low for the increasing demands of transport, so the iron girders of the carriageway were replaced by steel girders. In 1999 the bridge was closed for repair work for a month and traffic was diverted via the nearby Britannia Bridge .
In 2002 the bridge was added to the List of International Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks by the American Society of Civil Engineers . In 2005, the recording of the bridge was in the humanity List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage of UNESCO requested.
Web links
- menaibridges.co.uk/
- Menai Suspension Bridge. In: Structurae
- Menai Suspension Bridge. In: arch INFORM .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Matthew Wells: 30 Bridges . Callwey, Munich 2002; ISBN 3-7667-1501-1