History in Structure

Wye Bridge (M48 Viaduct)

A Grade II Listed Building in Chepstow, Monmouthshire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 51.6181 / 51°37'5"N

Longitude: -2.6617 / 2°39'42"W

OS Eastings: 354281

OS Northings: 191238

OS Grid: ST542912

Mapcode National: GBR JM.9C5Y

Mapcode Global: VH87T.TL6F

Plus Code: 9C3VJ89Q+68

Entry Name: Wye Bridge (M48 Viaduct)

Listing Date: 29 May 1998

Last Amended: 12 November 2002

Grade: II

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 19923

Building Class: Transport

ID on this website: 300019923

Location: Carries the M4 motorway over the Wye estuary and Beachley peninsula, as the western continuation of the Severn Bridge.

County: Monmouthshire

Town: Chepstow

Community: Chepstow (Cas-gwent)

Community: Chepstow

Locality: Beachley

Built-Up Area: Chepstow

Traditional County: Monmouthshire

Tagged with: Cable-stayed bridge Viaduct Highway bridge

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History

The Ministry of Transport adopted proposals for the Severn and Wye crossings under the 1945 Trunk Roads Act. Early designs were ready by 1950, but were later modified. Construction work did not begin until 1961 and was not completed until 1966. The engineers for the combined crossings were Freeman Fox and Partners, with Mott, Hay and Anderson; Percy Thomas was consulting architect, and the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company the contractors. The Wye Viaduct was one of the first cable stayed bridges to be built in England or Wales since 1918, and with the Severn Bridge, the first bridge in the world to have an aerodynamically shaped deck. It is also one of the earliest bridges of its type anywhere to use cables in only a single plane (a system developed in Germany). The structure was strengthened in 1987 (Flint and Neill, engineers), when the masts were increased in height to accommodate double the original number of cables.

Exterior

Cable-stayed bridge crossing the River Wye, continuing on piers over Beachley peninsula. Overall length 1153m, of which 408m is the Wye crossing with a main span of 234m, and two side spans. Streamlined continuously welded steel torsional box construction deck, stayed over the river crossing by steel cable ties in a single plane on the centre-line of the bridge, carried by a pair of steel masts above piers. Each mast carries two sets of cables (but originally only one). Open hand rails and stretched steel wire crash barriers. Slender, splayed inverted-U concrete piers on concrete beam foundations.

The eastern parts of the bridge, including its extension over Beachley peninsula are in England (Tidenham parish, Forest of Dean District).

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a fine example of a cable-stayed bridge of innovative design. It forms part of a group with the Severn Bridge.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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