Severn Bridge

The Severn Bridge is either of two bridges crossing the River Severn separating England and Wales. The old suspension bridge was inaugurated on September 8, 1966, and the new cable-stayed bridge, a couple of miles to the south, was inaugurated on June 5, 1996.

The two Severn Bridges are nowadays generally regarded (at least by people in the south of England) as the main crossing points from England into Wales, despite the fact that the two countries share a land border. Prior to 1966 road traffic between Wales and the southern counties of England - including London - either had to travel via Gloucester or take a ferry, which ran, roughly along the line of the Severn Bridge, from Aust to Beachley. The Anglo-Welsh poet, Harri Webb, wrote these lines:

Two lands at last connected
Across the waters wide,
And all the tolls collected
On the English side.
...a joke which was often repeated. The toll is indeed collected on the English side, and only on vehicles travelling from England to Wales. This arrangement eliminates the need for a set of toll booths for each direction of travel.

The Old Bridge
The old Severn Bridge is technically two bridges in succession: travelling west a vehicle passes over the 5240 feet (1597 metre) long main suspension bridge crossing the estuary of the River Severn onto a patch of land before immediately the 1340 ft (408 m) long second, cable-stayed bridge, of very different appearance, crossing the River Wye. Surprisingly, Welsh soil does not begin until after this second bridge has been crossed - both ends of the Severn Bridge itself are in England, one in the Unitary Authority of South Gloucestershire, the other in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire.

Although the bridge made an enormous difference, it was soon a major bottleneck, and the burden of maintenance became unmanageable, so that by the 1990s a second bridge was necessary.

Second Severn Crossing
The Second Severn Crossing was built by a business consortium, and this time the tolls were collected on the Welsh side (but in the same direction). The 3.2 mile (5128 m) long second bridge, which is of cable-stayed construction and hence, despite the apparent similarity, is not a suspension bridge, is wider and more resistant to high winds, and, because of its location further to the south than the old bridge and more in line with the M4, enjoys more traffic than the first bridge, which is still in general use. Its Welsh end is in Monmouthshire; its English end, in South Gloucestershire.