Dunham Bridge

{{Infobox bridge

|bridge_name= Dunham Bridge

|image= Geograph 312987 Dunham Bridge.jpg

|caption= Dunham Bridge

|official_name=

|also_known_as= Dunham Toll Bridge

|carries= {{UK road|A57}}

|crosses= River Trent

|id=

|design=

|mainspan=

|length=

|width=

|clearance=

|below=

|traffic=

|open= 1832

|closed=

|toll= Motorcycles Free, Cars £0.50, Goods vehicles with 4 wheels and carrying capacity over 509kg £1.00, Goods vehicles with 6 wheels or more £2.00

|heritage =

|coordinates = {{coord|53.2611|-0.77265|region:GB|display=inline,title}}

}}

Dunham Bridge is a toll bridge across the River Trent in England. It spans the border between Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the west and east respectively. It forms part of the A57 road, in the section between the Great North Road and Lincoln. It takes its name from the nearby village of Dunham-on-Trent.

History

Until the bridge was built and opened in 1832, the crossing of the river was by Dunham Ferry. This was an important crossing of the Trent. It was used by King William III in 1695 when he was met at Dunham by the Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne.Adrian Gray, Sherwood Forest & the Dukeries', Chichester: Phillimore, 2008, p42

In 1814, the fare was reported at half a crown.Letters from England, Volume 2. Robert Southey. 1814

The bridge was established in the 1830s, under the powers of the Dunham Bridge Act 1830,{{cite web |url=http://dunhambridge.co.uk/about_us.php |work=Dunham Bridge Company |title=Dunham Bridge – the Company |accessdate=3 May 2008}} when a group of local businessmen organised the original four-span, cast-iron construction{{cite web |url=http://dunhambridge.co.uk/index.php |work=Dunham Bridge Company |title=Dunham Bridge – Homepage |accessdate=3 May 2008}}{{cite PastScape |mnumber=324781 |mname=Dunham Bridge |accessdate=15 March 2013}} by the civil engineer, George Leather (1786–1870).A biographical dictionary of civil engineers in Great Britain and Ireland. By A. W. Skempton

The first person to cross the bridge was Eliza Woolas of Laneham, who used a sixteen-inch batten to span the remaining gap on a Sunday – presumably when no workmen were present.Nottingham Journal, 20 April 1907

File:River Trent flooded Dunham Bridge 1979 C.C.Moss.jpg

The superstructure was rebuilt on its original piers in 1977–79 to trunk road standards. A new toll plaza was opened in 1994 by the Right Honourable Mr. Michael Dennis, doubling the number of lanes through the booths from two to four.

During the rebuilding, a temporary bridge was built with single lane usage, controlled with temporary traffic signals.

Tolls

In June 2023, it was confirmed that tolls would be increasing for the first time since 2013.{{cite web|url=https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/dunham-toll-bridge-operators-confirm-8532119|title=Toll bridge operators confirm costs will go up for motorists|first=Sebastian|last=Mann|date=19 June 2023|website=LincolnshireLive|accessdate=19 June 2023}} Tariffs are regulated by the Department for Transport.{{cite web |url=http://dunhambridge.co.uk/tolls.php |title=Dunham Bridge – Tolls |work=Dunham Bridge Company |accessdate=3 May 2008}} Passage is free at all times for pedestrians, cyclists, motor-cyclists and three-wheeled invalid carriages. On Christmas Day and Boxing Day, passage is free for all traffic.

Dunham Bridge has been closed several times due to flooding, mainly on the Lincolnshire side: in 1897, 1977, 2001, 2012, and in January 2024.

{{River item box

|River = River Trent

|upstream = Winthorpe Bridge

|upsub = {{UK road|A1|height=15}}

|downstream = Trent Bridge, Gainsborough

|downsub = {{UK road|A631|height=15}}

|thisis = Dunham Bridge

|type = road crossing

|location = SK819744 }}