The Sydney Harbour Bridge, 1932: Rising to a height of 440 feet, it’s the world’s tallest steel-arched bridge connecting the northern suburbs of Sydney with the city centre … It spans 1,650 feet and is 160 feet wide. It carries eight lanes of traffic, two railway lines, a footpath and a dedicated cycle path. Every day more than 200,000 cars travel across it. Rob Bell, World’s Greatest Bridges s2e2: Sydney Harbour Bridge
At last Sydney north and Sydney south were united. ibid.
Across the world metal bridges dominate the landscape. These iconic structures come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Many attract thousands of sightseers from across the globe. But one bridge came before them all: it’s located in a small village in Shropshire … The most important bridge ever made because it was the very first in the world to be made entirely from iron. A massive 378 tons of it. The Iron Bridge stretches almost 200 feet across Britain’s longest river, the Severn. Rob Bell, World’s Greatest Bridges s2e3: The Iron Bridge, Shropshire
A marvel of industrial engineering, it’s the forerunner to every other metal bridge. ibid.
So few records of the bridge’s construction exist. ibid.
It inspired Thomas Telford …a young engineer and architect … The most magnificent is this: the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, this breathtaking waterway suspended in the sky. Built in 1805 this remains the highest navigable aqueduct in the world. ibid.
He built hundreds of miles of canals and roads and bridges. ibid.
The Tay Railway Bridge in Dundee opened in 1878. Constructed mainly from cast iron, it was at 10,709 feet the longest bridge in the world at the time … Then on Sunday 28th December 1879, only 19 months after the bridge had opened, disaster struck. That night a violent storm raged across the Tay. And at 7.31 p.m. just as a passenger train was going across it, the bridge collapsed. At least 74 passengers died when the train plunged into the icy waters. ibid.
The Brooklyn Bridge 1883: Rising 276 feet above the water it stretches 5,989 feet from end to end. Four massive cables hold up a suspended central span of 1,595 feet and 6 inches. When the bridge opened in 1883 it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Rob Bell, World’s Greatest Bridges s2e4: Brooklyn Bridge
Ohio 1866: The John A Roebling Suspension bridge. ibid.
It [Brooklyn] shattered accepted notions about how long bridges could stretch, what they should look like and even how their built. ibid.
The Tarn Valley in the south of France, a magnet for tourists … Now there’s another reason people flock here. This – the Millau Viaduct. It’s arguably the most beautiful bridge in the world … This is the world’s tallest bridge. Rob Bell, World’s Greatest Bridges s2e5: Millau Viaduct
One of the great names invited to bid was Sir – now Lord – Norman Foster. ibid.
Now considered one of the greatest engineering achievements of modern times. ibid.
Opened in 2004 the Millau Viaduct is record breaking. ibid.
The Millennium bridge wobbled from side to side … The engineering teams fitted 91 dampeners along the length of the bridge. ibid.
The Severn Bridge, 1966: This is the Severn, the longest river in Britain … The Severn Bridge: it’s virtually a mile long, 446 feet high, and with a central span of 3,240 feet. Rob Bell, World’s Greatest Bridges s2e6: Severn Bridge
The first bridge across the Severn would be a railway bridge. ibid.
Spectacular bridges, breathtaking buildings, extraordinary structures: our man-made world is awe-inspiring. But in an instant it can crumble before our eyes … To investigate why sometimes our bridges and buildings fail with disastrous consequences. I’m visiting the scenes of some of the world’s worst disasters. Rob Bell, When Buildings Collapse: World’s Worst Engineering Disasters: Miami Bridge, Channel 5 2019
These deadly mistakes cost lives and teach engineers how to save them. ibid.
This is the US41, an 8-lane highway that takes you from downtown Miami to the Everglades national park … 15th March 2018: a bridge collapsing and then crushing the line of vehicles waiting in the light below. ibid.
But just five days later that project was literally in ruins. ibid.
Florida International University’s bridge. The collapse resulted in the deaths of six people. ibid.
Kansas: The city’s Hyatt Regency Hotel skywalks 1978: In 1981 1,500 people were attending a social event … The death toll rose: 114 people died that night and a further 216 people were injured. ibid.
A fatal design change turned the skywalks into death traps … So who changed the design and why? ibid.
2018 Jakarta: Another internal suspended walkway … The walkway fell when hanger rods broke away from the ceiling … 77 people were injured. ibid.
Residents have moved out of a south London estate … One type of building in Britain that’s become notorious for its design defects … More tower blocks were built in the same way as Ronan Point. ibid.
The Grenfell fire became Britain’s worst tower block tragedy killing 72 people and injuring at least 70 more. ibid.
The Clifton Suspension Bridge showcased Brunel the engineering radical. Rob Bell, Brunel: Building a Great Britain, Channel 5 2020
Bridges are at the heart of all our lives. They connect people and places. But they also change things for ever. I want to find out how London’s bridges changed Britain. Rob Bell, London’s Greatest Bridges I: Secrets of London Bridge, Channel 5 2021
I’m looking at the first bridge of them all. For over 1,700 years the only bridge in the city – London Bridge. ibid.
Until the 12th century when some descriptions of a truly spectacular bridge appear … It is covered in buildings … the churches. ibid.
The heads of enemies of the state were a feature of the bridge for nearly 400 years. ibid.
The houses came down, as did the shops and the businesses. ibid.
One of the designs came from an engineering legend, Thomas Telford … It is utterly spectacular … This single arch … This is stunning. So clean. So why wasn’t it built? ibid.
It becomes a tourist attraction on the other side of the ocean. ibid.
The most iconic bridge of them all: Tower Bridge … Why it became the bridge at the centre of the world. Rob Bell, London’s Greatest Bridges II: Tower Bridge: Gateway to London
What was at one time London’s port … One of the most multicultural corners of the world in the nineteenth century. ibid.
It was the design changes once Barry was on board that turned Jones’s concept into a workable bridge. ibid.
Peel back that masonry and the skeleton is made up of 11,000 tons of steel. ibid.
A bridge shrouded in dirty politics right from the start – Westminster bridge. Its history is entwined with the governance of Britain, its politicians and people. Because from its construction in the eighteenth century to its modern-day incarnation Westminster bridge’s story is one of argument, protest and sabotage. Rob Bell, London’s Greatest Bridges III: Westminster Bridge
For the first time in 500 years a new bridge was to be built in London … The bridge was finally completed in 1750. ibid.
What of the bridge that would replace it? And how would that define a new Victorian London? ibid.
Waterloo bridge, a bridge forged in a era of industrial triumph, and rebuilt in the darkest days of war. Rob Bell, London’s Greatest Bridges IV: Waterloo Bridge
In 1817 Reny’s masterpiece was finally finished. It was nearly a kilometre long and weighed 100,000 tons. It was the most expensive bridge ever built in Britain and hugely over budget. ibid.
In 1878 the bridge was nationalised for less than half its construction cost. ibid.