Dunham Bridge

Dunham Bridge

Dunham Bridge
Coordinates 53°15′40″N 0°46′22″W / 53.2611°N 0.77265°W / 53.2611; -0.77265Coordinates: 53°15′40″N 0°46′22″W / 53.2611°N 0.77265°W / 53.2611; -0.77265
Crosses River Trent
Other name(s) Dunham Toll Bridge
History
Opened 1832
Statistics
Toll Yes

Dunham Bridge is a toll bridge across the River Trent in England. It spans the border between the administrative counties of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the west and east respectively. It forms part of the A57 road, in the section between the Great North Road and Lincoln. It takes its name from the nearby village of Dunham-on-Trent.

History

Until the bridge was built and opened in 1832, the crossing of the river was by Dunham Ferry. In 1814, the fare was reported at half a crown.[1]

The bridge was established in the 1830s, under the powers of the Dunham Bridge Act 1830,[2] when a group of local businessmen built the original cast iron construction.[3][4] It was a four-span cast-iron structure by the civil engineer, George Leather (1786-1870).[5]

The superstructure was rebuilt on its original piers in 1977-79 to trunk road standards.[3][4] A new toll plaza was opened in 1994 by the Right Honourable Mr. Michael Dennis, doubling the number of lanes through the booths from two to four.[3]

During the building of the superstructure. A temporary bridge was built with single lane usage, and was controlled with temporary traffic signals.

Tolls

The tolls were last increased on 1 March 2007 after a public enquiry that concluded on 17 October 2006.[6] Tariffs are regulated by the Department for Transport.[6] Passage is free on Christmas Day and Boxing Day; three-wheeled invalid carriages are exempt from tolls all year round.[3]

Dunham Bridge has been closed twice due to flooding: once in 2001, and the second occasion during the last week of December 2012. The extent of the 2012 flooding, according to staff, was unprecedented.

Next road crossing upstream River Trent Next road crossing downstream
A1 road  Dunham Bridge
Grid reference: SK819744		 Trent Bridge, Gainsborough 

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ Letters from England, Volume 2. Robert Southey. 1814
  2. ↑ "Dunham Bridge – the Company". Dunham Bridge Company. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Dunham Bridge – Homepage". Dunham Bridge Company. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  4. 1 2 Historic England. "Dunham Bridge (324781)". PastScape. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  5. ↑ A biographical dictionary of civil engineers in Great Britain and Ireland. By A. W. Skempton
  6. 1 2 "Dunham Bridge – Tolls". Dunham Bridge Company. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
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