Editing Tamar Bridge (section)

=== 1991–2001: Widening and strengthening ===
[[Image:Tamar Bridge Cornwall Devon.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Tamar Bridge during widening and strengthening work, 1999]]

A 1995 inspection found that the bridge was unable to comply with a [[European Union]] directive for supporting vehicles up to 40 tons;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1998/jun/11/tamar-bridge-bill#S5LV0590P0_19980611_HOL_287|title=Tamar Bridge Bill|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=11 June 1998|access-date=11 August 2016}}</ref> although the original bridge was designed for 38-ton vehicles, it was only able to support 17-ton vehicles.{{sfn|Brown|2007|p=8}} A feasibility study was carried out for a new Tamar Crossing in 1991,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1994/feb/02/projects-and-contracts#S6CV0236P0_19940202_CWA_406|title=Projects and Contracts|date=2 February 1994|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|access-date=11 August 2016}}</ref> but was rejected as the estimated cost would be around £300 million.{{sfn|Brown|2007|p=8}} The existing bridge could not be closed as it was being used by over 40,000 vehicles a day.{{sfn|Brown|2007|p=9}}

The eventual solution was to add two additional [[orthotropic deck|orthotropic]] cantilever lanes either side of the bridge, which traffic could run on while the original road deck was replaced. The work was designed by [[Hyder Consulting]] and constructed by the descendent company of Cleveland Bridge that had worked on the original project. Reconstruction started in 1999, and was slightly delayed owing to an influx of tourists travelling to Cornwall to watch the [[solar eclipse of 11 August 1999]], whose line of totality passed through the county.{{sfn|Brown|2007|p=9}} The new deck contained 82 orthotropic panels, each one measuring {{convert|6|m|ft}} by {{convert|15|m|ft}} and weighing 20 tons.{{sfn|Brown|2007|p=3}} Work was completed in December 2001 at a total cost of £34 million; the two additional lanes were retained to increase the bridge's capacity.{{sfn|Brown|2007|p=9}} The completed construction weighed 25 tons less than the original bridge.{{sfn|Brown|2007|p=6}}

The Tamar Bridge was officially reopened by [[Anne, Princess Royal|Princess Anne]] on 26 April 2002, exactly forty years after the initial opening.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=wes_ttda&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=IF502443665&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|title=Today's royal engagements|work=The Times|date=26 April 2002|access-date=11 August 2016|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Traffic was not expected to increase following the expansion of the bridge, as the [[Saltash Tunnel]] further west acts as a buffer for capacity.{{sfn|Brown|2007|p=9}} It was the world's first [[suspension bridge]] to be widened using [[cantilever]]s, and the world's first suspension bridge to be widened and strengthened while remaining open to traffic. The project won the British Construction Industry [[Civil Engineering]] Award for 2002, the Historic Structures category (30 years or older) of the Institution of Civil Engineers Awards 2002, and was one of eight 
finalists for the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]]'s Better Public Building Award 2002.{{sfn|Brown|2007|p=10}}

Bill Moreau, chief engineer of the [[New York State Bridge Authority]], was impressed by the project. He visited the bridge shortly after its reconstruction, and hoped that such methods could be possibly used to expand capacity on the three lane [[Mid-Hudson Bridge]] across the Hudson River in upstate New York<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1742142.stm|title=New York inspired by Tamar Bridge|work=BBC News|date=4 January 2002|access-date=12 August 2016}}</ref>