Newport Transporter Bridge picks up Trip Advisor award
Posted on Friday 10th April 2015
Newport's Transporter Bridge picks up a Trip Advisor award
Newport’s Transporter Bridge which has dominated the city’s skyline since 1906 has been rated as excellent by travellers on Trip Advisor – picking up a well-deserved Bravo Badge by the world’s largest travel site.
The bridge was the brainchild of borough engineer Robert Haynes who saw it as the perfect solution to the expansion of industry to the east of the river Usk with a workforce largely based to the west. His inspiration came during a visit to Rouen in France where he witnessed at first hand the wonder of the town’s newly-built Transporter Bridge.
Following parliamentary approval, work on Newport’s Transporter Bridge got underway in 1902 and was completed in 1906 at a cost of £98,000. It is one of only six operational transporter bridges in the world. The importance of preserving this iconic construction was recognised in 2008 by an investment of £1.225 million by the Welsh Government, Cadw and Newport City Council – recognition of its cultural and historical significance to both Newport and Wales.
Commenting Councillor John Richards, Newport City Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and development said, “This is a tremendous accolade for, arguably, Newport’s most iconic landmark. For over a century the transporter bridge has been a source of pride for the residents of Newport and has fascinated and enthralled visitors to the city. But beyond its architecture and wonderful feat of engineering, it stands as a reminder to the people of Newport of the innovation of their forefathers who were keen to ensure that the city could meet the demands of industry. Visitors to Newport today only need to look around at the new developments taking place to see that this is city on the move - ready to take its place once more at the heart of commerce.”
The Newport Transporter Bridge is open for the summer season between 10am and 5pm Wednesday to Sunday and is open on Bank Holiday Mondays during Easter, May and August. The last admission is 4pm with the last ferry crossing at 4.30pm.