Bridges On The Wear

A1 MOTORWAY BRIDGE

"For almost half its course the river Aln is not a very wide or deep river, consequently there are no bridges of any real importance until one comes to the now disused, but most charming and graceful Lady's bridge, which lies just west of Eslington Hall. The first most significant bridge in daily use over the Aln is not reached until we come to the village of Whittingham. Almost all of the crossings over the Aln west of Whittingham are achieved by a combination of fords and foot bridges and, whilst the river Aln on most occasions looks innocent enough as it ripples and meanders across these fords and under the footbridges, it can, when it is in full spate, become an extremely hazardous river as evidenced by the number of serious accidents that have occurred at these crossing points in the past"

The River Bridges Of Northumberland, Volume 2, The Aln'. Tony Dickens.

This bridge is one of the major bridges on the Durham A1M Motorway and each carriageway is seperately structured. There are five spans and the bridge is 345 feet between the abutments and it was built to a Travers Morgan and Partners design.

The motorway was officially opened in September 1969 at a cost of £18.3 million.The bridge is of massive construction and crosses the Wear at a low level.


 A1 Motorway Bridge Facts


Constructed - 1968
Type - beam, reinforced concrete, 2 V-shaped piers.
Position - Chester-le-Street, County Durham.
Grid Ref: NZ 283 519


 A1 Motorway Bridge












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