17th of July 1981: Inauguration of the Humber Bridge
Yes my friends, I’m gonna have a bottle of champaign this evening, to celebrate the 100th post on this steel marathon.
The Humber Bridge, near Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, is a 2.22 km single-span road suspension bridge, which opened to traffic on 24 June 1981. The bridge opened to traffic on 24 June 1981. It was opened officially by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 July 1981.
Image: Martin Brent Photography
When it opened, the bridge was the longest of its type in the world; it was not surpassed until 1998, with the completion of the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, and is now the twelfth-longest.
The road deck is constructed of welded steel box sections, each section weighing around 140 t, and topped by an asphalt wearing course. It carries a dual two-lane carriageway and two combined footpath/cycle tracks. The first box sections were assembled in June 1975 and put into the main span on 9 November 1979.
Image: Neil Holmes
The deck structure is 28.5m wide and 4.5m deep. It is suspended from the main cables by 242 inclined steel hangers. The cables that suspend the bridge are 14,948 parallel galvanized drawn wires of 5mm in diameter spun together to make one steel wire cable of 62m in diameter. Cable spinning took place between September 1977 and July 1979. Each cable can take a load of 19,400 t.
About the Author:
Bruno Dursin – Managing Director at Believe in Steel. Bruno has more than 30 years of experience in promoting steel & steel solutions. His clients benefit from his extensive network within the building industry.
