Friday 17th July 1981

The Humber Bridge at Kingston-upon-Hull, England, was opened by the Queen Elizabeth II. It was the longest single-span bridge in the world (1.4 km) and took nine years to build. Each tower consists of two tapered vertical reinforced concrete legs braced together with four horizontal beams. The legs are 155m high, and vary from 6m by 6m wide at the bottom to 4.5m by 4.75m at the top. The piers are reinforced concrete structures which support the towers. The north pier was founded on the hard chalk bank at a depth of about 8 metres. In the river, 500 metres from the south bank, the south pier sits on Kimmerage clay about 36m below the level of the river bed.