The Tamar Bridge at 60

Overview

This year, the Tamar Bridge - the iconic structure in South West England connecting Devon and Cornwall - celebrates its 60th anniversary.

Join the Tamar Crossings team as they reflect on some of the challenges they have faced in maintaining the bridge. They'll discuss how things have changed over six decades and consider what the next sixty years might bring.

The Tamar Bridge was opened on 24 October 1961. Mott Hay and Anderson designed what was to be the first significant post-war suspension bridge, and the longest ever in the UK. The bridge main span (between towers) is 335 metres, and with side spans and approach spans the whole structures is 642 metres long.

The bridge carries the A38 trunk road across the River Tamar between the City of Plymouth on the east bank and the town of Saltash on the west bank. It’s used by over 16 million vehicles a year – ten times the number carried in the early years. On a busy weekday over 50,000 vehicles use the crossing which is owned and operated jointly by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Councils.

This webinar is jointly hosted by ICE South West's Plymouth and Truro City Clubs.

Image credit: Trevor Burrows