The Severn Road Bridge from the air.

Severn Road Bridge

The Severn Road Bridge (now refered to locally as the "old" Severn Bridge) was opened in September 1966. At the time it was the seventh longest bridge in the world.
It's dimensions are :
length - 1 mile
Towers - 400 feet high
Wire Cables - 20 inches thick
contains approx 13,000 tons of steel.

This photo was taken from the Beachley side of the bridge. Left of the bridge is the ferry slipway with a ferry approaching. A second ferry has just left Beachley and is sailing towards Aust.

The Severn Princess, one of the three car ferries serving the "Old Passage" across the severn from Beachley to Aust was being restored in Chepstow, although the restoration has now (2004) encountered some difficulties.

Barrie Mapps added (Feb 2009): "... here's some totally useless info about the date the old Severn Bridge opened. It was on the 8th of September 1966, it was also my 20th birthday and a good friend mine was the first person to be fined, for crossing from side to side on foot over the road lanes. I also think it must have been the first offence commited on the bridge".

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