George Street Bridge, Newport

George Street Bridge as seen from the promenade at Powell's Town Wharf on the west bank

George Street Bridge is a bridge crossing the River Usk in Newport, Monmouthshire. It is a Grade II* listed structure.

Constructed by Mott, Hay & Anderson from 1962 to 1964, it was opened on 9 April 1964 by the Mayor William T Vaughan, JP. It represents the first example of a cable-stayed bridge in the United Kingdom. The main span of the bridge is 500 feet, and the height of the towers is some 170 feet.

Before its opening the only crossings of the river Usk in central Newport were the Newport Bridge carrying the main A48 road and Newport Transporter Bridge.

Many grand names were proposed for the bridge but it was eventually named after the relatively small George Street on the western bank of the River Usk.

Originally the bridge was planned to be six lanes wide, but with the M4 motorway Usk bridge already planned further upstream it was reduced to four lanes with two cycle paths/footways.

On completion, the A48 route was diverted over the new bridge, making it the preferred route for through traffic, although in 2004 the new City Bridge on the Southern Distributor Road further downstream became the preferred route and assumed the route number.

Outside links

• Wikishire map: 51°35’3"N, 2°59’4"W