Albert Bridge ( Eng. Albert Bridge ) - an automobile bridge over the River Thames in London ( UK ). The bridge connects the Chelsea area of Borough Kensington and Chelsea on the north bank of the Thames with the Battersea district of Wandsworth on the opposite bank. The suspension bridge is 216 meters long and 12.5 meters wide. The bridge was named after Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha .
| Alberta Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Official name | Albert bridge |
| Application area | car |
| Crosses | Thames |
| Location | London |
| Design | |
| Type of construction | cable-stayed bridge |
| Material | cast iron |
| total length | 216 |
| Bridge width | 12.5 |
| Construction height | |
| Exploitation | |
| Constructor, architect | Rowland Mason Ordish |
| Cost | 90,000 pounds |
| Start of construction | 1871 |
| Construction completion | 1873 |
| Opening | 08/23/1873 |
| Reconstruction closure | 1884, 1973 |
History
Although the British Parliament gave permission for the construction of the bridge as early as 1864, construction began only in 1871 to coordinate work with the construction of the road along the river. Rowland Mason Ordish was appointed the chief engineer, since the bridge was built according to the principle patented by Ordish - the ropes are fixed directly to the pylons ( cable-stayed bridge ). The construction of the Albert Bridge cost £ 90,000. The grand opening of the bridge took place on August 23, 1873 .
Albert Bridge Company, in addition to the Albert Bridge, owned the neighboring Battersea Bridge . But the cost of maintaining both bridges exceeded revenue from use . In 1878, both bridges were purchased by the Metropolitan Board of Works , which canceled the bridge fare a year later. In 1884, under the direction of Joseph Bazalgett, the Albert Bridge was renovated and strengthened.
After World War II, it turned out that the bridge was too weak for new vehicles. When the Council of the County of London (the forerunner of the Council of Greater London ) decided to demolish the Albert Bridge, a series of protests against demolition took place under the leadership of John Betzheman . The protesters were successful, the Alberta Bridge was included in the list of monuments in London. In order to avoid the collapse of the bridge, the foundations were strengthened in 1973, the middle of the bridge was put on additional supports, the road surface was replaced with lighter and the maximum transport weight was limited to 2 tons. To make the bridge more visible to ships passing along the Thames, the Alberta bridge was painted in bright colors.