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Humber Bridge Sunset Wideshot by Neutralle –

Top 10 Facts about Humber Bridge

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 spans the Humber which is an estuary formed by the rivers Trent and Ouse, between Barton-upon-Humber on the south bank and Hessle on the north bank. It connects the East Riding of Yorkshire with North Lincolnshire. 

Both sides of the Humber bridge were in the non-metropolitan county of Humberside until its dissolution in 1996. The bridge can be seen for miles around and from as far as Patrington in the East Riding of Yorkshire and out to sea miles off the coast. The Bridge provided an opportunity for the Humber region to realize its potential in commercial and industrial development. The journey from Hull to Grimsby, for example, was reduced from 82 miles to 42.

Here are the top 10 facts about Humber Bridge.

1. Humber Bridge is a Grade I listed building

The Humber Bridge is a Grade I listed building. A listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, Cadw in Wales, and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency in Northern Ireland. 

A listed building may not be demolished, extended, or altered without special permission from the local planning authority, which typically consults the relevant central government agency, particularly for significant alterations to the more notable listed buildings. In England and Wales, a national amenity society must be notified of any work to a listed building that involves any element of demolition.

2. The Humber Bridge was opened officially by Queen Elizabeth II

Humber Bridge –

The bridge opened to traffic on 24 June 1981. It was opened officially by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 July 1981, a ceremony which included a prayer of dedication by the Archbishop of York and a fly-past by the Red Arrows.

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms.

3. The Humber Bridge is the twelfth-longest bridge in the world

When it opened on 24 June 1981, the Humber Bridge was the longest of its type in the world. It was not surpassed until 1998, with the completion of the Akashi Kaiky艒 Bridge, and is now the twelfth-longest. 

The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is a suspension bridge that links the city of Kobe on the Japanese island of Honshu to Iwaya on Awaji Island. It was completed in 1998 and has the second-longest central span of any suspension bridge in the world.

4. The Construction of the Humber Bridge took eight years

Humber Bridge by Bob riach –

Plans for the bridge were drawn up in the 1930s and revised in 1955 but work did not begin until 27 July 1972. The Humber Bridge Act, promoted by Kingston Upon Hull Corporation, was passed in 1959. This established the Humber Bridge Board to manage and raise funds to build the bridge and buy the land required for the approach roads.

Work on the construction took eight years, during which time upwards of one thousand workers were employed at times of peak activity.  Traffic first crossed the bridge on 24th June 1981 and on 17th July 1981 Her Majesty the Queen performed the formal opening ceremony.

5. By 2006, the Humber Bridge carried an average of 120,000 vehicles per week

The Bridge has saved many millions of vehicle miles and valuable hours of drivers鈥� and passengers鈥� time. This is an important factor not only for the drivers and operators of commercial vehicles but also for tourists who would have had to travel around the estuary to reach destinations in the region.

The toll was 拢3.00 each way for cars and slightly higher for commercial vehicles, which made it the most expensive toll crossing in the United Kingdom. In April 2012, the toll was halved to 拢1.50 each way after the UK government deferred 拢150 million from the bridge’s outstanding debt.

6. The Humber Bridge cost was estimated at 拢1.725 million

Humber Bridge by Alex Liivet –

The consulting engineers for the project were Freeman Fox & Partners. Sir Ralph Freeman produced the first ideas in 1927.

In the early 1930s, the cost of the project was estimated at 拢1.725 million and the bridge would be unlikely to recoup the construction or maintenance costs.

7. The Humber Bridge was built to last 120 years

In 1935 the consulting engineer had an idea for a 4,500 ft (1,400 m) suspension bridge for the Humber Tunnel Executive Committee. Sir Gilbert Roberts produced more ideas in 1955 for a bridge with a 4,500 ft (1,400 m) central span, costing 拢15 million.

This was to be paid for by East Riding County Council and Lindsey County Council. Once it was likely that a bridge would be constructed, Imperial College-educated Bernard Wex OBE produced the design in 1964 that was actually built.

8. The Humber Bridge’s surface takes the form of a dual carriageway

The Humber Bridge, taken from the South Bank by Adamjennison111 –

A dual carriageway (BE) or divided highway (AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic traveling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE).

The Humber bridge also has a lower-level foot and cycle path on both sides. There is a permanent 50 mph (80 km/h) speed limit on the full length of the bridge. 

9. Only pre-registered pedestrians and cyclists can use the Humber Bridge 

On 3 April 2021, the Humber Bridge was closed to pedestrians and cyclists following an unspecified incident. The decision came after multiple deaths at the bridge in the month of March. Following the death of one individual that month, a petition calling for increased safety measures to secure the bridge had gained thousands of signatures.

Concerns were raised over how the change will affect those who commute on foot or by bike. On 6 May 2021, the bridge was reopened to pedestrians and cyclists between the hours of 0500 and 2100, only pre-registered users can use the bridge outside of those hours. In addition, more CCTV and notices have been erected as well as more staff to patrol the crossing.

10. In 1996, Parliament passed an act to ensure the Humber bridge could be safely maintained

Parliament passed the Humber Bridge Debts Act 1996 to reorganize the board’s liabilities to ensure the bridge could be safely maintained. Much of the interest on the debt was suspended and deferred in a refinancing that saw no write off the balance was to be paid using tolls.