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Newport Transporter Bridge
Newport Transporter Bridge © Crown copyright (2013) Visit Wales
Newport Transporter Bridge consists of two high towers standing 645 feet apart and rising 242 feet above road level supporting a 'railway track' from which is suspended a platform or 'gondola' on which passengers or vehicles ride. It is a ‘suspended ferry’ and this kind of design was required because of the very high tidal range and the need to maintain access for high-masted ships. It links the populated western side of the river Usk with the industrialised eastern side. It is one of only six transporter bridges in the world today and has therefore been given a Grade I listed building status.
Robert Haynes (Newport Borough engineer) and Frenchman Ferdinand Arnodin were appointed joint engineers for the project and the contract to build it was awarded to Alfred Thorne of Westminster at a cost of £98,000. Work began in 1902 and it was opened in 1906 by Lord Tredegar of Tredegar House. Today, a visitor centre is situated on the west bank and features exhibitions about the history of the bridge, its construction and other transporter bridges around the world.
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