Reason For The Transporter Design
The design was chosen because the river banks are very low at the desired crossing point (a few miles south of the city centre) where an ordinary bridge would need a very long approach ramp to attain sufficient height to allow ships to pass under, and a ferry could not be used during low tide at the site.
The height of the towers is 242 feet (74 m) and the height of the horizontal beam above the road is 177 feet (54 m). The transporter platform or gondola travels the 645 feet (196.6 m) between the towers at ten feet (three metres) per second, powered from the engine room. This Transporter Bridge is the largest of the eight which remain worldwide, and the oldest of its type in Britain.
Read more about this topic: Newport Transporter Bridge
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