Capacity : Cleveland Bridge

Around the same time that the bridge was freed from toll, heavier vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine were making their way onto the roads. The slender cast iron span of Cleveland Bridge required re-inforcement. Major steelwork was inserted under the roadway around 1929 giving it the strength which today allows it to carry 38 tonne trucks. In the current situation whereby Bath has no eastern bypass, this makes the bridge a heavily used “Euro route” for large trucks on their way from Britain’s south coast ports to the docks further north. High volumes of local traffic at peak travelling times make this a regular traffic slow spot in the mornings and evenings. All told, over 17,000 vehicles using the bridge each day between 7am and 7pm.