THE MENAI BRIDGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 22, 27 January 1938, Page 17

THE MENAI BRIDGE

WORK OF REBUILDING

LINES WILL BE RETAINED

. It is peculiarly fitting that the rebuilding of Telford's beautiful Menai suspension bridge, which for 111 years has carried the only road connection between the Welsh mainland and the island of Anglesey, should be in tha hands of Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners, consulting engineers, says a writer in the "Sunday Qbserver."

Sir Alexander Gibb, the head of tha firm and sixth in a direct .line, of - engineers, is linked by ties formed early; in the nineteenth century-, with Telford, that son of a Dumfries shepherd who was to become the first president of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

In 1809 Telford met Sir Alexander's great-grandfather, John Gibb. then en* gaged on harbour' : construcuon at Greenock. Before long he was Telford's resident engineer on.the Aberdeen harbour works.

In the early 1820's John 'Gibb s son, Alexander, was established as : an apprentice in Telford's bachelor, establishment at 24, Abingdon Street, whera "breakfast was served-at eight o'clock,, and cleared away at eight-thirty, latecomers going hungry. •■•*••' A friendship between Telford and Gibb had been established thatjremained unbroken till the former's death ia 1834. But his traditions were to ba carried on. '■. ■, . , . LITTLE DIFFERENCE^ The Menai suspension bridge, when rebuilt, will differ little in .appearance from what it is today. At an estimated cost of £228,000, the essential part of the structure will be remodelled. Tha masonry towers and viaducts, grandly built, will be retained,''but" the wrought-iron flat link chains and the floor of the 580 ft main span will be taken down,, and a new deck capable of carrying traffic without restriction will be constructed. This will be supported by new chains of high tensila steel.

A single carriageway, 23ft wide, will be provided in substitution for the present two carriageways, each 7ft 9ia i wide. . Two footways, , each sft wide, will'run the whole length of the bridge passing around vthe outside of tha towers.\ The Work of reconstruction will, it x is expected, take two and a half "years to complete, and traffic will be maintained while it is going on with, practically no interruption. ,

Wire ropes will be carried across tha tops of temporary-steel-towers "built around the putsides of the permanent j masonry towers, and will partly support the existing deck, while the out--side chains are being dismantled. The new deck will be erected •■ underneath the old one, being finally raised after removal of the latter. ■

About 3500 tons of Siteel will be used, of which one half will be high-tensila steel. Nearly 3000 tons of r.ock will be excavated, and about 7500 tons of concrete used in the new chain anchorage* and concrete decking. A NECESSARY BRIDGE. So will come another: stage in. tha chequered story of the "Irish route." It was. in 1801-2 that Rennie,; after much agitation by Irish -M.P.S, reported on the suitability of the HolyheadHowth route to Ireland. In 1810 a committee reported to Parliament that a bridge,over the Menai Straits was both expedient and necessary.

I Eventually, in 1818, the suspension bridge was designed and work begun! in 1820: The most dramatic : stage was the erection of the"first chain from one side of the Strait to the other. Thee central portion was floated into position'on a raft 400 feet long and 6 feet wide and joined to the portion of . the chain hanging down,from* the. Carnarvon pier! The opposite .end was. then, fixed to blocks and pulleys carried over the top of the. Anglesey, pier. to a capstan on the further bank. Immediately the ends.had. been fixed a signal was given, and 150 men manned the capstan with a fife band playing lively tunes to-keep them in. time. The whole operation was com* pleted without a hitch in just over an hour and., a half. :

Threeycheers, loud and long, closed the labours of the day.' ; Ale 'was : distributed to the workmen, and two became so enthusiastic that they clambered across the Strait by means of .the single chain. ' ■ V' ' So came into being the "bending bridge hung high o'er Menai's Strait," to quote Southey's words. Happy it i* that its beautiful lines will still : , remain to please the eye and, warm th« heart. • ■