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Princess of Wales bridge from the fish quay north bank upriver
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Princess of Wales bridge from the north bank downriver
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Princess of Wales Bridge from the south bank downriver
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River Tees Watersports Centre
The Princess of Wales Bridge, sometimes referred to as the Diana Bridge or the Princess Diana Bridge, is a dual carriageway road bridge named after the late Diana, Princess of Wales.[1][2][3] It carries Council of Europe Boulevard across the River Tees, Northern England.
Princess of Wales Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 54°33′57″N 1°18′26″W / 54.5657°N 1.3072°W |
Carries | Council of Europe Boulevard |
Crosses | River Tees, Teesdale Way |
Locale | Stockton-on-Tees, England, United Kingdom |
Official name | Princess of Wales Bridge |
Preceded by | Teesquay Millennium Bridge |
Followed by | Infinity Bridge |
Characteristics | |
Design | Slab and girder |
Material | Steel plate girders and concrete |
Longest span | 40 metres (131 ft) |
No. of spans | 3 |
Piers in water | 2 |
History | |
Constructed by | Tarmac Group |
Construction end | 1992 |
Inaugurated | 23 September 1992 |
Location | |
Teesdale Business Park in Thornaby is to the south and to the north is the north east of Stockton town centre (at the north end of Riverside Road at a gyratory system). It is in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees.[1][2]
The bridge is of a slab and girder design[4] with concrete piers and steel plate girder decking.[1] The bridge has three spans – the centre span is 40 metres with two side spans of 30 metres each.[1][5] The bridge has four steel plate girders with composite concrete decking and the abutments and piers are supported on steel H piles driven to sandstone bedrock.[5]
The bridge was commissioned by the Teesside Development Corporation[1] and built at a cost of £3 million by Tarmac Group.[1][2][5][6]
The bridge was inaugurated on 23 September 1992[2][3][5][6][7] by Diana, Princess of Wales.[8] On rare occasions the bridge is closed for fireworks events.
After the death of Diana, Princess of Wales the bridge was fitted with two memorial plaques.[9]
Just downriver of the bridge is the River Tees Watersports Centre hosting watersports such as rowing, canoeing, waterskiing, jet skiing and dragon boat racing.