Changes

Bridge 35, Bridgnorth Bypass Bridge was built during the winter of 1982-83 as part of the construction of the Bridgnorth Bypass. The proposed bypass had been a source of concern to SVR since it was first proposed 15 years earlier, as its construction would remove the embankment south of [[Bridgnorth | Bridgnorth Station]], severing it from the rest of the line. From reopening, a proportion of fare revenue was set aside in a dedicated trust fund to pay for the construction of this bridge. <ref>Terms and conditions on 1970 ticket reproduced in ''Severn Valley Steam'', G. Nabarro (1971)</ref> In the event, an amicable agreement was reached during 1982 between the SVR and Shropshire County Council, who made a substantial contribution towards the cost of the bridge.

The bridge consists of two steel girders resting on concrete abutments, carried in turn on piles driven deep into the sandstone bedrock. The bridge has a concrete deck, cast in situ, rather than the normal longitudinal timbers used elsewhere on the line, allowing the track to be sleepered as normal on a ballasted base.

The bridge was completed in time for the line to re-open for the [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1980-1989#1983 | 1983]] season. However construction of the bypass required lowering the B4555 Highley road to pass underneath it, and consequently increasing the height of the railway embankment. Less than two months later, the embankment collapsed a few yards beyond the bridge (the area on the left of the photo below). Shropshire County Council and the SVR worked jointly for 14 hours a day seven days a week to reopen the line three weeks later.