Wentbridge Viaduct was built as part of improvements to the A1 in 1961. It cost £320,000 when built, and has a central span of 94m (between the pier bases). Design is usuallly credited to the West Riding County Council's County Engineer, S. Maynard Lovell, although the lead designer was more probably F.A. Sims.


Concrete Quarterly was almost rhapsodic:
"At last Britain has a bridge to show which, by virtue of its dramatic impact, its taut, pared-down elegance, its sheer size, can hold its own with any of the great bridges on the Continent - a bridge of a Maillart-like excitement, that even the Autostrada del sole cannot better".

Since 1998, its significance has been recognised by its status as a heritage-protected Listed Building, a rare accolade for such a modern structure.
It's difficult to see a bridge like this being built again, certainly in Britain. Much of the cost will have been in the temporary works, particularly the forest of scaffolding required, which was pictured in Modern British Bridges, and is shown here. Any bridge of this scale would almost certainly now be built in steel, and probably on much cheaper vertical concrete piers, regardless of the aesthetic merits.
I didn't visit on the brightest day, and growth of vegetation in the river valley over time has made the bridge hard to photograph in its entirety. The bridge is massive in size and presence, but delightful in its stark lack of embellishment. Only a subtle curvature to the underside of the deck, and the minimal taper of the pier legs, give any sense that the bridge is more than a series of giant, monolithic paving slabs propped against each other.
A caged walkway has been added to the east face of the bridge, with very little care taken over its appearance. In parts, it projects below the deck soffit, so it can be seen from the other side of the bridge, spoiling the deck's clear lines. I guess this must have been installed before the bridge was Listed, because I can't see how it would be an acceptable addition to a Listed Building.
Further information:
- Google maps / Bing maps
- Structurae
- British Listed Buildings
- The Motorway Archive (contains considerable detail on design and construction)
- The Wentbridge Viaduct (Concrete Quarterly No. 52, 1962)
- Twentieth Century Engineering
(MoMA, 1964)
- Modern British Bridges (Henry and Jerome, 1965)
- An Encyclopaedia of Britain's Bridges (McFetrich, 2010)
1 comment:
Do you know the purpose behind having the inclined supports ?
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