Itchen Bridge
Encyclopedia
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
over the River Itchen
River Itchen, Hampshire
The River Itchen is a river in Hampshire, England. It flows from mid-Hampshire to join with Southampton Water below the Itchen Bridge in the city of Southampton. The river has a total length of , and is noted as one of England's - if not one of the World's - premier chalk streams for fly fishing,...
in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. It is a high-level hollow box girder bridge. It is located approximately 1 km from the river mouth. The bridge spans 870 yards (795.5 m), is 92 feet (28 m) at its highest point and weighs 62,000 tons. It was officially opened July 13, 1977. At the Woolston end of the bridge is a toll booth which is operational every day of the week. Southampton City Council levy a variable toll, which depends on vehicle type. The toll was originally charged in order to help pay the £12.174 million it cost to build. The toll succeeded in this some years ago, but the toll remains to control the traffic in the areas surrounding the bridge.The bridge was opened by HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon Mrs Angus Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...
on 13 July 1977, although it had been open to public foot traffic since 31 May 1977 when Mrs Edith Parks became the first person to cross it. On 21 December 2010, it was announced that an automatic toll system would replace the staffed booth, which will save council taxpayers in excess of £200,000 per annum.