Opening of the Tamar Bridge

The new Tamar Bridge was opened to traffic on 24 October 1961 but officially opened by the Queen Mother on 26 April 1962. Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge of 1859 for the railway helped the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company of Darlington decide on where to site the new road bridge. Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council jointly own the bridge and the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee run both the bridge and the ferry and charge a toll.

The bridge marked the end of the ferry crossing that for centuries provided a link between the two counties of Devon and Cornwall. It took almost three years to build at a cost of one and a half million pounds and was at the time the longest suspension bridge in the UK. The official ceremony included a fly-past and a gun salute from two naval frigates. In 2002 on the fiftieth anniversary of the initial inauguration the Princess Royal, Princes Anne unveiled a new plaque after the strengthening and widening of the bridge. The achievements in engineering terms were recognised by an award prompting engineers from around the world to embrace the techniques used for other suspension bridge reinforcement projects.