Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Severn Bridge shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Severn Bridge offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Severn Bridge at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Severn Bridge? Wrong! If the Severn Bridge is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Severn Bridge then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Severn Bridge? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Severn Bridge and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Severn Bridge wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Severn Bridge then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Severn Bridge site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Severn Bridge, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Severn Bridge, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{Infobox_Bridge|bridge_name=Severn Bridge|image=Old severn bridge small.jpg|caption=The Severn Bridge seen from the English side of the river. From 1966 to 1996, the bridge carried the M4 motorway. On completion of the Second Severn Crossing the motorway from Aust on the English side to Rogiet was renamed the M48 motorway|official_name=|carries=4 lane M48 motorway|locale=[South West England/South East Wales|mainspan=3240ft (988m)|length=|width=|height=|clearance=|below=|traffic=|open=[8 September [1966: £15.30
Motorcycle: Free|map_cue=|map_image=|map_text=|map_width=|coordinates= |lat=|long=--> For the Ontario community, see Severn Bridge, Ontario. The Severn Bridge (Welsh language: Pont Hafren) is a suspension bridge that spans the River Severn from South Gloucestershire, just north of Bristol, to Monmouthshire in south Wales, via Beachley, a peninsula between the Severn and River Wye estuaries. It is the original Severn crossing between England and Wales and took five years to construct at a cost of Pound Sterling8 million. The bridge was opened on 8 September 1966 by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, who hailed it as the dawn of a new Economy era for South Wales. The bridge was granted Grade I listed building status in 1998.

Location Although the Severn Bridge can only be used for crossing between England and Wales, it is located wholly within England. This is because the "Welsh" end of the bridge itself is located above the Beachley peninsula, which modern boundaries place in England. The border with Wales bissects the Wye bridge, slightly further north along the route.

The ancient Offa's Dyke placed the Beachley peninsula in Wales.

Component structures The Severn Bridge crossing consists of several structures, which, listed in order from England to Wales, are: the Aust Viaduct, Severn Bridge, Beachley Viaduct and Wye Bridge.

Aust Viaduct The Aust Viaduct is a twin box girder structure with a concrete deck, which carries the roadway to the first gravity anchorage of the old Severn Bridge. The roadway is then carried over the top of the concrete anchorage to the Severn Bridge.

Severn Bridge The Severn Bridge is located close to the former Aust Ferry. The bridge is a 5240 Foot (unit of length) (1597 metres) long suspension bridge of conventional design, with the deck supported by two main cables slung between two steel towers. The length of the central span (between the towers) is 3240 feet (988 m). The towers rise to 445 feet (136 m) above mean high water and are of hollow box construction. The deck is an orthotropic deck steel girder of aerofoil shape with cantilevered cycle tracks and footway supported from the box. The shape of the bridge was determined by the designers Freeman, Fox and Partners following wind tunnel tests for the Forth Road Bridge, after the original wind tunnel model was accidentally destroyed. The sections of the deck were built at Fairfield-Mabey in Chepstow, each 132 tonne section was then floated down the river before being hoisted into position.

Beachley Viaduct The Beachley Viaduct is also of similar box girder construction as the Severn Bridge but is supported on steel trestles as it crosses the Beachley peninsula. The peninsula contains an British Army camp, which the bridge crosses.

Wye Bridge The Wye Bridge is a 1340 ft (408 m) long cable-stayed bridge, which crosses the border marked by the River Wye into Wales, 3 kilometre south of Chepstow. It consists of a single large cable stayed section with two single-leg pylons supporting the bridge deck from the centre of the roadway. The deck is an orthotropic deck box girder similar to the Severn Bridge but has a different appearance as it has two sets of cable stays on each of two towers (originally there was only one set of cable stays but these were replaced during the strengthening works in the late 1980s).

Post-construction changes The Severn Bridge crossing was strengthened and resurfaced in the late 1980s as the weight of traffic grew. The work included the strengthening of the Severn Bridge towers and deck, an extension to the existing Wye Bridge towers and the replacement of the original single stays with two stays. The open structure of the new stays is designed to facilitate maintenance. Most of the strengthening work was inside the deck box or towers and so is not visible. The surfacing is a thin layer (about 35 millimetre) of mastic asphalt over an acrylic waterproofing membrane.

The road is only two carriageways of two lanes in each direction, and as traffic volumes grew it became a major bottleneck. At its peak, it was carrying 50 000 vehicles a day. The burden of maintenance also became unmanageable, so that by the 1990s a Second Severn Crossing was necessary. Since the construction of the second bridge, the original crossing carries 15 000 vehicles day, 25% of the total traffic traversing the estuary.

Toll Shortly after the opening of the Severn Bridge, Anglo-Welsh poetry Harri Webb wrote an Ode on the Severn Bridge: Two lands at last connected Across the waters wide, And all the tolls collected On the English side.

The toll is indeed collected on the English side, and only on vehicles travelling westwards from England to Wales, leading some people describing it as a "tax on entering Wales", both humour, and also as a more serious anti-toll campaign.Originally, tolls were charged in both directions, but the arrangements were changed in the early 1990s to eliminate the need for a set of toll booths for each direction of travel and the potential for traffic waiting to pay the toll backing up onto the bridge itself.

As of January 2007, the toll is £5.10 for a car, increasing to £15.30 for a heavy goods vehicle.Motorcycles and disabled badge holders are exempt from the tolls, although both must stop at the toll booths to have their eligibility confirmed. The tolls for the Second Severn Crossing are the same (although in this case, the tolls are collected on the Welsh side, the longer approach viaducts making queueing on the bridge less of an issue). A system known as the Severn TAG made by Amtech is also in operation, which allows drivers to pay electronically without having to stop at the toll booths. TAGs are available either on a per-trip or a seasonal basis, although only the latter attracts a discount.The cycle path and footpath, which run along either side of the roadway, may be used free of charge.

Trivia & myths Award for 1968

40 years old - inspections During its 40th year of operation, the bridge was inspected to check for corrosion of the suspension cables. According to the Highways Agency,the inspection concluded that the bridge needed restrictions on heavy goods vehicles.Such vehicles are now restricted to one lane on the bridge, with weight restriction signs in place. A system of installing a rubber casing on the cables with dry air circulation is to be used on the Forth Road Bridge and a similar system may be implemented on the Severn Bridge, in a move to halt the progress of the corrosion.



See also

References

External links Pictures

{{Infobox_Bridge|bridge_name=Severn Bridge|image=Old severn bridge small.jpg|caption=The Severn Bridge seen from the English side of the river. From 1966 to 1996, the bridge carried the M4 motorway. On completion of the Second Severn Crossing the motorway from Aust on the English side to Rogiet was renamed the M48 motorway|official_name=|carries=4 lane M48 motorway|locale=[South West England/South East Wales|mainspan=3240ft (988m)|length=|width=|height=|clearance=|below=|traffic=|open=[8 September [1966: £15.30
Motorcycle: Free|map_cue=|map_image=|map_text=|map_width=|coordinates= |lat=|long=--> For the Ontario community, see Severn Bridge, Ontario. The Severn Bridge (Welsh language: Pont Hafren) is a suspension bridge that spans the River Severn from South Gloucestershire, just north of Bristol, to Monmouthshire in south Wales, via Beachley, a peninsula between the Severn and River Wye estuaries. It is the original Severn crossing between England and Wales and took five years to construct at a cost of Pound Sterling8 million. The bridge was opened on 8 September 1966 by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, who hailed it as the dawn of a new Economy era for South Wales. The bridge was granted Grade I listed building status in 1998.

Location Although the Severn Bridge can only be used for crossing between England and Wales, it is located wholly within England. This is because the "Welsh" end of the bridge itself is located above the Beachley peninsula, which modern boundaries place in England. The border with Wales bissects the Wye bridge, slightly further north along the route.

The ancient Offa's Dyke placed the Beachley peninsula in Wales.

Component structures The Severn Bridge crossing consists of several structures, which, listed in order from England to Wales, are: the Aust Viaduct, Severn Bridge, Beachley Viaduct and Wye Bridge.

Aust Viaduct The Aust Viaduct is a twin box girder structure with a concrete deck, which carries the roadway to the first gravity anchorage of the old Severn Bridge. The roadway is then carried over the top of the concrete anchorage to the Severn Bridge.

Severn Bridge The Severn Bridge is located close to the former Aust Ferry. The bridge is a 5240 Foot (unit of length) (1597 metres) long suspension bridge of conventional design, with the deck supported by two main cables slung between two steel towers. The length of the central span (between the towers) is 3240 feet (988 m). The towers rise to 445 feet (136 m) above mean high water and are of hollow box construction. The deck is an orthotropic deck steel girder of aerofoil shape with cantilevered cycle tracks and footway supported from the box. The shape of the bridge was determined by the designers Freeman, Fox and Partners following wind tunnel tests for the Forth Road Bridge, after the original wind tunnel model was accidentally destroyed. The sections of the deck were built at Fairfield-Mabey in Chepstow, each 132 tonne section was then floated down the river before being hoisted into position.

Beachley Viaduct The Beachley Viaduct is also of similar box girder construction as the Severn Bridge but is supported on steel trestles as it crosses the Beachley peninsula. The peninsula contains an British Army camp, which the bridge crosses.

Wye Bridge The Wye Bridge is a 1340 ft (408 m) long cable-stayed bridge, which crosses the border marked by the River Wye into Wales, 3 kilometre south of Chepstow. It consists of a single large cable stayed section with two single-leg pylons supporting the bridge deck from the centre of the roadway. The deck is an orthotropic deck box girder similar to the Severn Bridge but has a different appearance as it has two sets of cable stays on each of two towers (originally there was only one set of cable stays but these were replaced during the strengthening works in the late 1980s).

Post-construction changes The Severn Bridge crossing was strengthened and resurfaced in the late 1980s as the weight of traffic grew. The work included the strengthening of the Severn Bridge towers and deck, an extension to the existing Wye Bridge towers and the replacement of the original single stays with two stays. The open structure of the new stays is designed to facilitate maintenance. Most of the strengthening work was inside the deck box or towers and so is not visible. The surfacing is a thin layer (about 35 millimetre) of mastic asphalt over an acrylic waterproofing membrane.

The road is only two carriageways of two lanes in each direction, and as traffic volumes grew it became a major bottleneck. At its peak, it was carrying 50 000 vehicles a day. The burden of maintenance also became unmanageable, so that by the 1990s a Second Severn Crossing was necessary. Since the construction of the second bridge, the original crossing carries 15 000 vehicles day, 25% of the total traffic traversing the estuary.

Toll Shortly after the opening of the Severn Bridge, Anglo-Welsh poetry Harri Webb wrote an Ode on the Severn Bridge: Two lands at last connected Across the waters wide, And all the tolls collected On the English side.

The toll is indeed collected on the English side, and only on vehicles travelling westwards from England to Wales, leading some people describing it as a "tax on entering Wales", both humour, and also as a more serious anti-toll campaign.Originally, tolls were charged in both directions, but the arrangements were changed in the early 1990s to eliminate the need for a set of toll booths for each direction of travel and the potential for traffic waiting to pay the toll backing up onto the bridge itself.

As of January 2007, the toll is £5.10 for a car, increasing to £15.30 for a heavy goods vehicle.Motorcycles and disabled badge holders are exempt from the tolls, although both must stop at the toll booths to have their eligibility confirmed. The tolls for the Second Severn Crossing are the same (although in this case, the tolls are collected on the Welsh side, the longer approach viaducts making queueing on the bridge less of an issue). A system known as the Severn TAG made by Amtech is also in operation, which allows drivers to pay electronically without having to stop at the toll booths. TAGs are available either on a per-trip or a seasonal basis, although only the latter attracts a discount.The cycle path and footpath, which run along either side of the roadway, may be used free of charge.

Trivia & myths Award for 1968

40 years old - inspections During its 40th year of operation, the bridge was inspected to check for corrosion of the suspension cables. According to the Highways Agency,the inspection concluded that the bridge needed restrictions on heavy goods vehicles.Such vehicles are now restricted to one lane on the bridge, with weight restriction signs in place. A system of installing a rubber casing on the cables with dry air circulation is to be used on the Forth Road Bridge and a similar system may be implemented on the Severn Bridge, in a move to halt the progress of the corrosion.



See also

References

External links Pictures



 

Severn Bridge



 
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