The Great Grimsby Improvement Act of 1869 allowed the land west of the old dock to be developed, and a bridge built across the dock.[1][2]
The bridge was constructed by Head Wrightson and the Teesdale Ironworks to the design of Charles Sacre. Situated between the two sets of spans was a horizontally turning swing bridge of 91.25 feet (27.81 m) of asymmetric hogback plate girder design with a clear space when open of 45 feet (14 m).[3]
The bridge was restored by Great Grimsby Borough Council c. 1980.[citation needed]
Operation
Although the old dock is now virtually inactive of shipping, the bridge is covered by an act of parliament requiring it to be lifted upon certain requests. Requests were made in the 1990s to allow the historical Ross Tiger and PS Lincoln Castle vessels to enter the old dock and be permanently berthed to serve as museum pieces and restaurants respectively.
The bridge is still occasionally lifted for testing purposes, most recently being done so in May 2016. In 2017, after weeks of repair work, engineers were not able to carry out a test lift of the bridge.[6] A restoration project was carried out from February 2023, funded by the Department of Transport (£2.967m), North East Lincolnshire Council (£1.83m) and the Local Transport Fund (£170,000), with the bridge closed for the following 11 months.[7]
