UK Bridge Opening - Newhaven Swing Bridge, East Sussex

Newhaven Swing Bridge, Newhaven, East Sussex

Date filmed: 04/06/2020

Location: A259, Newhaven

Moving bridge located within the town of Newhaven on the coast in East Sussex, on the very busy A259 main road around Newhaven Town Centre. This bridge has only a few scheduled openings per week, which are usually announced on the day before the bridge's scheduled opening. A typical opening of the bridge lasts around 8-10 minutes or so, causing long queues of traffic to build up.

During a typical opening sequence, the barriers will be lowered around a minute before the bridge tilts slightly, before laterally swinging out at a turning angle of approximately 90 degrees from its starting point (acting almost like an opening gate) to allow vessels with taller masts, as well as the occasional cargo ship, enter the river Ouse around nearby Denton Island and beyond from the English Channel. In this video, the bridge is fully open as the second vessel passes through. The bridge will then swing back round to its starting position when all vessels have passed, tilt back to the angle at which it is level with the road on both sides, and around a minute later, the barriers will re-open.

Halogen wigwags alert drivers and pedestrians to stop when the bridge is scheduled to open, and they flash throughout the entire opening of the bridge (although not shown in this video). The audible warning here consists of two E2S A100 alarms, one on each side of the bridge, on the exit side. These are the same alarms used at level crossings on the Welsh Highland Railway, and the same alarms used at Minehead Level Crossing on the West Somerset Steam Railway, both of which here are reasonably loud to be audible above the constant stream of passing traffic, and across the entire length of the bridge, as well as the approaches to the bridge.

The barriers here have 'Stop' signs on them, and the skirting only covers the pedestrian walkway, with nothing but the barriers stopping vehicles from proceeding, with stands at the end of them. Plenty of railing attempts to stop pedestrians accessing the road around the bridge, as to duck under the barriers illegally. However, there is a considerable gap left between the lowered barriers on one side - large enough to fit a bicycle or person through. These barriers lower slowly, to allow enough time for any pedestrians, cyclists or vehicles to clear the bridge when the warnings activate. The alarms will sound again when the barriers raise, something characteristic about a number of bascule bridges across the UK.

Just as the bridge tilts to open, the large and noisy level crossing beside Newhaven Town Station can just about be heard lowering for an approaching Seaford-bound train. Also, watch your volume during the walk-over section of this video at around 9 and a half minutes in, as a police car was cutting through the traffic to get to an emergency.

Thanks for watching!