Billingham Branch Bridge

The Billingham Branch Bridge is a road bridge built in 1934 over a disused railway line. It was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson and constructed by Dorman Long & Co Ltd. The bridge is made of steel, concrete, and brick and is slightly skewed. It features a troughing deck supported by nine longitudinal steel girders, each consisting of five welded spans. These spans are welded to supporting stanchion legs, with the outer spans extending to support the centrally slung length of the middle span, while the southern-most span is similarly slung. At both ends, the girders rest on reinforced concrete beams, which are supported by reinforced concrete columns set into the abutments. Rockers at the base of the stanchion legs sit on mild steel slabs that are dowelled to transverse reinforced concrete beams. Below ground, additional support is provided by a framework of reinforced concrete piles, struts, beams, and cylinders. The bridge has a panelled brick parapet with a concrete plinth and copings. It is reputed to be the first welded steel bridge in Britain.