Newport Transporter Bridge, Transporter bridge in Newport, Wales
Newport Transporter Bridge is a transporter bridge in Newport, Wales, spanning 197 meters (646 feet) across the River Usk. The steel framework supports a moving platform that hangs beneath the high level and shuttles between both riverbanks.
Ferdinand Arnodin designed this crossing in 1906 to link the industrial districts of Pillgwenlly and Liswerry without blocking river traffic. The project followed earlier transporter designs in France and Spain, adapting the concept to Newport's busy docks and shipbuilding yards.
Local residents still refer to the structure simply as the Transporter, a name that reflects its working purpose rather than architectural grandeur. Visitors today experience the same crossing method that factory workers and dockers used over a century ago.
The moving platform operates regularly throughout the day and accommodates pedestrians, cyclists, and a few cars at once. Visitors can also climb the tower stairs to reach the upper walkway and see across Newport and the river basin.
Only eight transporter bridges remain in working order worldwide, combining the function of a ferry with the permanence of a fixed crossing. The gondola moves by electric motors that run along rails on the upper truss, pulling the platform smoothly from shore to shore.
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