Walton Bridge
The Walton Bridge is a road bridge over the River Thames . It is located in the county of Surrey and connects Walton-on-Thames in the Elmbridge district on the south side with Sunbury-on-Thames in the Spelthorne district on the north side. The main road A244 leads over it. The Walton Bridge had four previous structures; the current bridge is a temporary construction erected in 1999, which is to be replaced by a new building.
history
A ferry across the river has existed here since the beginning of the 15th century . In 1747 Parliament gave Plymouth MP Samuel Dicker permission to build a wooden bridge. Since he financed the construction, he was allowed to collect and keep tolls . Despite considerable local opposition, construction began in 1748 and was completed two years later. Over time, the wooden bridge crumbled more and more and was finally demolished in 1783.
It was replaced by a masonry bridge , which was completed in 1788. In August 1859 the central pillar collapsed and the two inner arches collapsed. Ferries again had to take over the traffic for five years. In 1864 the third Walton Bridge was opened, a truss bridge resting on stone pillars . Six years later, the Metropolitan Board of Works bought the bridge and abolished the toll.
In 1940 the third Walton Bridge was damaged by a German aerial bomb , after which a weight limit of seven tons came into force. In 1953, a fourth bridge for motorized traffic was built parallel to this, which was assembled from prefabricated Bailey components (probably excess material from the Second World War). The third bridge remained open to pedestrians and cyclists and was finally demolished in 1985.
A permanent bridge was planned in the 1990s, but planning work was delayed considerably due to financing problems. Since the fourth bridge could no longer withstand the increasing loads, another temporary bridge was built in 1999.
The planning for a sixth bridge was completed in January 2011. It was definitely built in 2013.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Timetable of the new building ( Memento of the original from October 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
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upriver Chertsey Bridge |
River crossings of the Thames |
downstream Hampton Court Bridge |
Coordinates: 51 ° 23 '15 " N , 0 ° 25' 53" W.