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During the years 1932 to 1934, the second major bridge over the Tees was built. The Newport Bridge was designed by a man called Dr. David Anderson and was built by the local company Dorman, Long & Co. at a cost of £512,353. The Newport Bridge was officially opened on 28th February 1934 by the Duke of York (later King George VI) and his wife, the Duchess (Now our Queen Mother !!).
It has a total length of over 400 feet and stands over 160 feet high, from road level. It is a vertical lift bridge, the centre road section being raised to high up the towers when necessary. It has a total length of over 400 feet and stands over 160 feet high, from road level. At least, that was the case until November 1990, when someone took the criminal decision to permanently fix the road section down for good, due to the cost of the upkeep of the lifting gear !! The final lift was carried out on 18th November 1990. Nevertheless, the Newport Bridge still strikes an awe inspiring pose on the Teesside landscape and I, for one, believe it’s about time it was lit up on a night, in the same way as it’s better thought of big brother, The Transporter. It is, once again, a shining example of this regions engineering excellence. (Since this was written, the bridge has indeed been lit up)
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