Tay Bridge
Tay Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Tay Bridge at Dundee, Scotland, seen from the Dundee Law hill | |
| Coordinates | 56°26′20″N 2°59′19″W / 56.43889°N 2.98858°W |
| OS grid reference | NO 39143 27850 |
| Crosses | Firth of Tay |
| Locale | Dundee |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 10,711 feet (2.0286 mi; 3,265 m) |
| History | |
| Construction start | 22 July 1871 (1st) 6 July 1883 (2nd) |
| Construction end | Early 1878 (1st) 1887 (2nd) |
| Opened | 1 June 1878 (1st) 20 June 1887 (2nd) |
| Closed | 28 December 1879 (1st) |
Listed Building – Category A | |
Official name | Tay Railway Bridge |
| Designated | 29 June 1989 |
| Reference no. | LB25681 |
| Location | |
Interactive map of Tay Bridge | |
The Tay Bridge carries rail traffic across the Firth of Tay in Scotland between Dundee and the suburb of Wormit in Fife. Its span is 10,711 feet (2.0286 miles; 3,265 metres). It is the second bridge to occupy the site.
Plans for a bridge over the Tay to replace the train ferry service emerged in 1854, but the first Tay Bridge did not open until 1878. It was a lightweight lattice design of relatively low cost with a single track. On 28 December 1879, the bridge suddenly collapsed in high winds while a train was crossing, killing everybody on board. The incident is one of the worst bridge-related engineering disasters in history. An enquiry determined that the bridge was insufficiently engineered to cope with high winds.
It was replaced by a second bridge constructed of iron and steel, with a double track, parallel to the remains of the first bridge. Work commenced on 6 July 1883 and the bridge opened in 1887. The new bridge was subject to extensive testing by the Board of Trade, which resulted in a favourable report. In 2003, the bridge was strengthened and refurbished, winning a British Construction Industry Engineering Award to mark the scale and difficulty of the project.