Menai Suspension Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Menai BridgePont Grog y Borth (Welsh) |
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The Menai Suspension Bridge viewed from the Anglesey side
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| Coordinates | 53°13′12″N 4°9′47″W / 53.22000°N 4.16306°W |
| Carries |  A5 (London to Holyhead) |
| Crosses | Menai Strait |
| Locale | Anglesey, North West Wales |
| Heritage status | Grade 1 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Suspension bridge |
| Material | Wrought iron (original chains) Steel (replacement chains) Stone Cast iron |
| Total length | 417 metres (1,368 ft) |
| Width | 12 metres (39 ft) |
| Longest span | 176 metres (577 ft) |
| Number of spans | Main: One Arches: Seven |
| Piers in water | Five |
| Clearance below | 31 metres (102 ft) |
| Design life | 1893: wooden deck replaced in steel 1938/40: iron chains replaced in steel |
| History | |
| Designer | Thomas Telford |
| Construction begin | 1819 |
| Opened | 30 January 1826 |
The Menai Suspension Bridge is a famous bridge that connects the island of Anglesey to the mainland of Wales. It crosses the Menai Strait, a narrow stretch of water. Designed by Thomas Telford, this amazing bridge was finished in 1826. It was the very first large suspension bridge in the world! Today, the bridge still carries cars and is a special historic building, known as a Grade I listed structure.
Contents
Why Was the Menai Bridge Built?
The Tricky Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a waterway that formed a very long time ago. During the Ice Ages, huge sheets of ice carved out the land. When the ice melted, the sea filled these channels, creating the strait we see today.
Anglesey has always been an island, so getting to it meant crossing this water. This was always quite dangerous. The strait has four strong tides every day, which create powerful currents and even whirlpools!
Dangerous Crossings and Lost Animals
Before the bridge, people used ferries to cross the strait. These boats carried passengers and goods. In 1785, a terrible accident happened when a boat with 55 people sank in a storm. Only one person survived.
Farmers on Anglesey also needed to get their cattle to markets on the mainland. They had to make the animals swim across the strait. This often meant losing valuable animals in the strong currents.
A New Road to Ireland
In 1800, Ireland joined Great Britain. This meant many more people traveled between London and Holyhead (on Anglesey) to catch ferries to Dublin. The journey was long and difficult.
In 1815, the British Parliament decided to build a new, better road. This road, called the Holyhead Road, would connect London all the way to Holyhead. Thomas Telford, a brilliant engineer, was put in charge of this huge project.
Choosing the Best Spot for a Bridge
Telford surveyed the route and realized the biggest challenge was crossing the Menai Strait. He suggested building a bridge near Bangor on the mainland to the village of Porthaethwy (now called Menai Bridge) on Anglesey.
This spot was perfect because the banks were high enough for tall sailing ships to pass underneath. Telford decided a suspension bridge was the best design. It could span the wide, fast-flowing water without needing many supports in the middle. Parliament agreed, and the bridge project was approved in 1819.
Building the Amazing Bridge
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Starting the Construction
Building the Menai Bridge began in 1819. First, workers built the huge towers on each side of the strait. These towers were made from strong Penmon limestone. They were hollow inside with cross-walls for strength.
Next came the most important part: the sixteen giant chain cables. These cables would hold up the bridge deck. Each cable was made of five parallel bars of wrought iron links. In total, there were 80 iron bars and 935 links in each cable!
Putting the Chains in Place
The chains rested on cast iron saddles at the top of the towers. These saddles had rollers, which allowed the chains to move slightly as the temperature changed. This helped prevent damage. Each chain was very long, about 522 meters (1,713 feet), and weighed about 123 tonnes (121 long tons).
To stop the iron from rusting, it was soaked in linseed oil and then painted. On both sides of the strait, the chains went through three tunnels into special chambers cut into the rock. Here, they were held firmly in place by large bolts.
The Final Lift
Workers put most of the chain links together on site. They built platforms near the tunnels and assembled the chains link by link. Once the chains reached the top of the towers, a special cradle was used. This cradle could carry two workers.
The workers in the cradles lifted and attached links until the chains reached the water level. The very last part of each chain, the central section, was floated across the strait on a large raft. Then, 150 men used a system of pulleys to lift these heavy sections into place.
A Grand Opening
The Menai Bridge officially opened on January 30, 1826, with a big celebration! It was a huge success. The journey time from London to Holyhead was cut by nine hours, making travel much faster and safer.
The Bridge's History and Upgrades
Making the Bridge Stronger
When it first opened, the bridge's roadway was about 7.3 meters (24 feet) wide. It didn't have special supports to make it stiff, so it could sway a lot in strong winds.
In 1840, the bridge deck was strengthened. Then, in 1893, the original wooden surface was replaced with a new steel deck. This made the bridge much more stable.
Over the years, the weight limit of 4.5 tonnes (4.5 long tons) became a problem. Trucks were getting much heavier! So, between 1938 and 1940, the original wrought iron chains were replaced with new, stronger steel ones. This amazing work was done without closing the bridge to traffic!
Recent Maintenance and Closures
In 1999, the bridge was closed for about a month. Workers resurfaced the road and strengthened the structure even more. During this time, all traffic had to use the nearby Britannia Bridge.
On February 28, 2005, one side of the bridge was closed for six months for a major repainting job. It was the first time the bridge had been fully repainted in 65 years! It reopened to traffic in both directions on December 11, 2005.
More recently, on October 21, 2022, the bridge had to close suddenly. This was for important maintenance work after engineers found some safety issues. It was closed completely at first, but soon reopened for people walking and cycling. The Welsh Government announced it would be closed for 14 to 16 weeks.
The good news is that the bridge reopened on February 1, 2023, for traffic in both directions. However, it still has a weight limit of 7.5 tonnes while plans for full repairs are being made.
Around the Bridge
The Anglesey Coastal Path goes right under the Menai Bridge. The Wales coast path actually crosses over the bridge, connecting the island path to the mainland. On the Anglesey side, there's a memorial to the victims of the Aberfan disaster.
See also
In Spanish: Puente colgante de Menai para niños
- Britannia Bridge, the second bridge over the Menai Strait, opened in 1850
- Menai Heritage Bridges Exhibition, a museum about the Menai and Britannia bridges
- List of bridges in Wales
- Swellies
- Operation Menai Bridge
