Kingsferry Bridge - Sheppey Way, Kent, UK - Vertical Lift Bridges on Waymarking.com

This bridge lifts both the road and the railway to allow passing boats through. It is a design by Mott, Hay and Anderson and was built by John Howard, with Dorman Long and Sir William Arrol. Visible from a distance the vertical columns are made from reinforced concrete and within them are portals for the operators to work. The deck is made from steel.

Wikipedia describes the history behind the bridge: visit link

'The first bridge on the site had been a railway bascule bridge built in 1860 as part of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. This was replaced in 1904 by a Scherzer-type bascule bridge, replaced in turn by the present bridge.

Swale railway station is at the southern end of the Kingsferry Bridge.

The Kingsferry bridge is powered by an electric motor found beneath the road where there is an engine room either side of the bridge which operates the wire rope and counter weights that lifts and lowers the bridge. The Kingsferry bridge has lifted currently over 100,000 times and every lift has to be recorded. The bridge can only be lifted when the Sittingbourne railway signalman gives authorization once a train travelling either way across the bridge has passed the relevant track section.

The maximum bridge lifting height is 84 feet and when reached a claxon sound is heard to confirm the bridge is at full height.

The Kingsferry Bridge is regarded to network rail as a "railway crossing".

The A249 was carried on the Kingsferry Bridge until the opening of a new fixed Sheppey crossing in 2006.

It was announced police have borrowed £73,000 from Swale Council to place an order for an automatic number plate recognition system (ANPR), which will be installed on both the Sheppey Crossing and the Kingsferry Bridge by the middle of April 2010.'

Visit Instructions:
1) After you've found a vertical lift bridge, go visit it, get the coordinates, a picture or two of it, and if it is in use or not still as a lift bridge.
Then log it and post your pictures! At least one of the photos must be of you and your GPS there with the bridge in the background. (No old vacation shots or photos off the internet!)
2) Include the coordinates, city/county/state/country and the name of the bridge (if it has one).
3) Include any interesting information about the structure

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   09/10/2016 dave-harris visited it 07/27/2012 MeerRescue visited it 12/09/2010 SMacB visited it

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