MT 95/987

Location	National Archives
Title	Motorway signalling: emergency light signals on M4 including Severn Bridge; arrangements for supply, installation and maintenance
Date range	1966
Catalogue	See entry

Context

Proposals were made in the run-up to the opening of the Severn Bridge (which was, let us not forget, an iconic and thrilling moment in the development of the motorway network; plans were drawn up for the westbound destination of the M4 to be simply "Severn Bridge") for a system to detect strong winds and inform drivers about it. This file is almost entirely devoted to the development of that system.

Unfortunately it's not very interesting - in fact the system appears to have involved a wind speed detector mounted on the bridge, which triggered a warning light in the bridge control room, and the control room operator would then manually switch on some red lights at the toll booths in order to stop traffic from reaching the bridge.

Links to related files

MT 95/988 Motorway signalling equipment: specifications and plans (1966)

MT 95/989 Motorway signalling: emergency light signals on M4 including Severn Bridge; arrangements for supply, installation and maintenance (1966-1967)

People with camera copies

None known.