The Tamar Bridge opened 60 years ago today on 24 October 1961.
The bridge is celebrating 60 years of service connecting Saltash in Cornwall and Plymouth in Devon.
The toll road is publicly owned and was the longest of its type when it first opened in 1961. Today sees 16 million vehicles pass over it each year – an order of magnitude more than the 1.6 million that crossed during its first year of service.
Its construction was marked by sadness when five workers died in a boat accident in 1960.
The bridge’s construction was a joint project between Plymouth City and Cornwall Council after the central government had refused to finance the crossing.
Royal Albert Bridge seen from the Plymouth Tower of Tamar Bridge. Taken on 60th Anniversary.
It sits directly next to the iconic Royal Albert Bridge which opened in 1859.
The Tamar Bridge is 1,099ft (335m) long from tower to tower with the total road length measuring in at 2,106ft.
The total cost of its construction, maintenance and operation has been completed financed from the toll taken to cross it.
