Reading Bridge
Reading Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 51°27′39.5″N 0°58′04.5″W / 51.460972°N 0.967917°W |
Carries | B3345 |
Crosses | River Thames |
Locale | Reading |
Owner | Reading Borough Council |
Maintained by | Reading Borough Council |
Characteristics | |
Design | Arch |
Total length | 180 feet (55 m) |
Width | 40 feet (12 m) |
Height | 18 feet (5.5 m) |
No. of spans | 1 |
Clearance below | 17 feet 8 inches (5.38 m) |
History | |
Construction start | March 1922 |
Opened | 3 October 1923 |
Location | |
Reading Bridge is a road bridge over the
The current bridge is the first on the site, and was opened on 3 October 1923. It has a single reinforced concrete main span of 180 feet (55 m), which was, at the time of construction, the longest such span in the United Kingdom. There are also two side arches for footpaths. The span rises to a height of 18 feet (5.5 m) at the centre, giving a navigation clearance of 17 feet 8 inches (5.38 m). The bridge deck is 40 ft (12 m) wide and carries a 27 ft (8.2 m) wide carriageway and two flanking footways.[1][2]
History
Before the opening of Reading Bridge, the only road crossing between Reading and Caversham was at the
In 1871, the Corporation of Reading had obtained permission to build a swing bridge across the river just above Caversham Lock, but this was never done. However in 1911, Caversham was absorbed into the borough of Reading, and as part of the 1911 Extension Order (the parliamentary permission for this absorption), the Corporation was required to construct a footbridge between Caversham and De Bohun Road in Reading. The following year the Corporation successfully obtained permission to replace this proposed footbridge with a wider road bridge.[1]
The original plan for the new bridge was for it to be a steel suspension structure, but in 1913 this was revised to an arched bridge built of the, then new, material of reinforced concrete to a design by
The actual building of the bridge was delayed by the outbreak of the
By 2013 the bridge was carrying 24,000 vehicles each day and was still only one of two road crossing over the Thames in Reading. Reading Borough Council commissioned
In 2015 the bridge was complemented by the opening of the Christchurch Bridge, a pedestrian and cycle bridge situated some 200 metres (660 ft) upstream.[5][6]
See also
- Crossings of the River Thames
References
- ^ a b c d e Lambert, Helen; Matthews, Paul (2023). "Reading Bridge : 1923–2023 : 100 years of crossing the Thames at Caversham". Caversham & District Residents’ Association. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "Bridge heights on the River Thames". River Thames Alliance. Archived from the original on 24 January 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2008.
- ISBN 978-1-86077-458-4.
- ^ "Reading Bridge". VolkerLaser. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "Reading Thames bridge for pedestrians and cyclists opens". BBC. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ^ "Reading's New Bridge Opens Today". Reading Borough Council. 30 September 2015. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
External links
- Media related to Reading Bridge at Wikimedia Commons
- Leaflet on the history of the bridge published by Caversham & District Residents’ Association