No abstract

THE bridge and approaches which are the subject of this Paper convey both a road and a double line of railway across the River Wear, at a point about 29 miles from the entrance to Sunderlmd harbour. Previous to 1899 the necessity for a road-bridge over the river in the neighbourhood of the new bridge was realized, and rough plans and estimates were prepared, but it was not until 1899 that the North Eastern Railway Company finally came to an agreement with the Corporation of Sunderland. It was then decided to construct a joint bridge across the river on the present site, and parliamentary powers for the undertaking were obtained in 1900. The general design of the main bridge will be readily understood from Plate 3. It consists of three 200-foot (clear) land spans, one on the south and two on the north side of the river, and of a 330-foot (clear) span over the river, this last giving a clear headway of 85 feet above high-water level of spring-tides. The massive abutments and piers which support these spam are built of Norwegian rock-faced granite in cement. SITE AND APPROACHES. The railway (Fig. 1, Plate 3) extends from a point (A), about 160 yards west of Millfield station on the Penshaw branch railway, to R point (B), opposite to the Hylton colliery on the Hylton, South-BUSCARLET AND HUNTER ON THE [Minutes of wick and Monkwearmouth branch railway ; a total distance of about 1 mile 59 chains. It is built primarily to enable the large mineraltraffic from the coalfields , in the district between Washington and Annfield Plain, to be brought, if required, to the South Dock, Sunderland, without the two reversals that are now necessary at Washington and Penshaw. The aggregate output from these collieries is upwards of 6 million tons per annum. Ultimately, the new bridge and railwa,y will be used t'o develop passenger-trafiic in the district. The roadway extends below the railway from Havannah Street (C) on the south side of the river to the point D on the north side, where it leaves the railway and, crossing Camden Street, leads up to Mary Street bridge; this being the proposed route for the tramways that are eventually to be laid across the new bridge. The building of the roadway from point D to Mary Street bridge, and the widening of this bridge to suit future requirements, was carried out by the Southwick District Council. When laid, the tramway will connect the system which has its terminus a t '' The Green," Southwick, on the north side of the river, with that which, on the south side, extends westwards from the Central station, Sunderland, along the Hylton Road and past Millfield station. The new road-bridge will also be of great value for footpassengers between the industrial districts of Sunderland and Southwick, and for the heavy traction and other traffic between Sunderland and Newcastle, as the only other means of cornmunication between the banks of the river in the immediate neighbourhood is a road-bridge crossing the river a t a point about 1 mile 3 furlongs farther down. Lastly, the new bridge is made use ...