Longest bridges in the UK

Bridges are a critical component of a nation’s infrastructure. They provide crucial access between regions and cities, linking workers to jobs, goods to markets and people to essential services.

Also Read: Longest Bridges in the USA

Additionally, bridges are landmarks of civilisation and the triumph of human organization. They define the identity of towns and cities as well as countries, and they are also a source of civic pride for the people who live there.

Below are the sources of civic pride for people living in the UK.

1. Bromford Viaduct in Birmingham (length 5.6 kilometres)
2. Prince of Wales Bridge in England/Wales (length 5.12 kilometres)
3. Tay Bridge in Scotland (length 4.43 kilometres)
4. Dartford crossing–Queen Elizabeth 2 bridge in
5. Queensferry Crossing in Scotland (length 2.70 kilometres)

Top 5 longest bridges in the UK

1. Bromford Viaduct

With a total length of 5.6 kilometres, the Bromford Viaduct is the longest bridge in the UK.

The bridge carries the M6 motorway between Castle Bromwich and Gravelly Hill along the River Tame Valley in Birmingham, England. The Bromford Viaduct has 3.5 miles elevated section above the motorway which makes it the longest viaduct in Great Britain.

The Bromford Viaduct was constructed between 1964 and 1972.

2. The Second Severn Crossing

The Second Severn Crossing is officially called the Prince of Wales Bridge. It crosses over the River Severn and connects England and Wales. The bridge is not far from Bristol and Newport.

The second Severn Crossing has a length of 5.128 kilometres. It is therefore the second longest bridge in the UK. The construction of the bridge was completed back in 1996 with the aim of easing traffic over the Severn Bridge.

Noteworthy, the Second Severn Crossing is part of the M4 moving from West London to Northwest of Swansea.

3. Tay Bridge

Tay Bridge is a rail bridge that carries the railway across the Firth of Tay in Scotland between Dundee and the suburb of Wormit in Fife.

Spanning a distance of 4.43 kilometres the bridge is the third largest in the UK overall, and the largest in the rail bridge category in the country. The bridge was built between July 1883 and 1887.

Tay Bridge was constructed to replace another bridge that collapsed in 1847 because of “poor use of cast-iron girders”. The first bridge was built between 1971 and 1878. The bridge was 3.26 kilometres long.

The new double-track bridge was built parallel to the remains of the first bridge.

4. The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge

Queen Elizabeth II Bridge which is a part of the Dartford Crossing is the fourth longest bridge in the UK.

The 2.87-kilometre-long bridge carries the A282 road between Dartford in Kent to the south with Thurrock in Essex to the north. It is therefore a major crossway along the River Thames in England.

The construction of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge started back in the late 80s, mainly to reduce traffic on the Dartford Crossing tunnels. At the time of its launch in 1991, the bridge was the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.

5. Queensferry Crossing

Formerly known as the Forth Replacement Crossing, Queensferry Crossing is the third bridge to be constructed across the Forth River in Scotland.

The 2.7-kilometre bridge was built between 2011 and 2017 alongside the already existing Forth Road Bridge and the Forth Bridge.

Alongside the bridge, approximately 4 kilometres of new connecting roads were built. The project also led to new and upgraded junctions at Ferrytoll in Fife, South Queensferry and Junction 1A on the M9.

Queensferry thus carries the M90 motorway across the river between Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, and Fife, at North Queensferry.