Constantius Bridge

Summary

Constantius Bridge is a modern concrete bridge across the River Tyne about 1 mile (2 km) north west of Hexham, Northumberland, England. The bridge carries the A69 road over the River Tyne and forms part of the Hexham bypass. It is the last crossing of the River Tyne before it splits into the North Tyne and South Tyne.

Constantius Bridge
Constantius Bridge
Coordinates54°59′03″N 2°07′28″W / 54.9841°N 2.1245°W / 54.9841; -2.1245
OS grid referenceNY921654
Carries A69 
CrossesRiver Tyne
LocaleNorthumberland
Other name(s)Hexham A69 Bridge[1]
Named forConstantius I
OwnerDepartment for Transport
Maintained byNational Highways
Preceded by
Followed byHexham Bridge
Characteristics
DesignBeam bridge
MaterialConcrete
No. of spans3
Piers in water2
No. of lanes4
History
Construction end1976 [1]
Opened1976 (1976)
Location
Map

History edit

In 1976 a new road was built to replace the old A69 through Hexham, and Hexham was by-passed on the north side of the river, necessitating a bridge crossing near Warden just west of Hexham.[1] The bridge crosses the River Tyne just downstream from the "Meeting of the Waters" – the point where the North and South Tyne rivers join to form the main River Tyne,[2] then crosses the railway to continue towards Haydon Bridge.[1]

On 30 August 1975, during construction, there was a flood, and the scaffolding and shuttering for the westernmost span collapsed. The completed bridge has already required strengthening due to flood damage, showing that the Tyne has lost none of its capability for attacking bridge structures.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e "Hexham A69 Bridge". Bridges on the Tyne. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
  2. ^ Ridgway, Doug (2007). "Hadrian's Cycleway". Cycle Routes. Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2009.

External links edit

Next bridge upstream River Tyne Next bridge downstream
Chesters Bridge
Ruined Roman bridge, formerly Roman Military Way
(River North Tyne)

Warden Railway Bridge
Tyne Valley line
(River South Tyne)
Constantius Bridge
Grid reference NY921654
Border Counties Bridge
Ruined, formerly Border Counties Railway
Next road bridge upstream River Tyne Next road bridge downstream
Chollerford Bridge
 B6318 
(River North Tyne)

Warden Bridge
Road and   72 (River South Tyne)
Constantius Bridge
Grid reference NY921654
Hexham Bridge
 A6079  and   72