For those that don’t already know, Hull is named after the river that runs through the centre of the city.
Running from Beverley to the Humber, the river splits the city in two, east and west, Rovers and FC.
But how much do you know about the bridges that connect the two halves of our city and the dedicated team of bridge operators that keep traffic flowing both on the river and on our roads?
Here’s five facts in numbers that might surprise you.
And watch a video showing Hull’s beautiful bridges below.
2,000
That’s how many times bridges were swung or lifted last year to allow boats to flow down the river. Each lift/swing has to be done manually by a team of dedicated bridge operators spread along the river.
16
There are 16 bridges on the river. 13 are in Hull, three are in the East Riding.
438
It’s not a competition, but if it was, Sculcoates Bridge saw the most action last year with 438 swings. The swing bridge is also the oldest swinger, and bridge, in town having been built in 1874. Close on its tail was another swinger, Wilmington, which swung 397 times. Wilmington, built in 1907, is another of the city’s older bridges. The newest is Scale Lane Bridge, which was completed in 2013.
Wilmington Bridge, the oldest in the city, left, and Scale Lane Bridge, the newest.
90
One and a half hours, 5400 seconds, 90 minutes – that’s how long it takes a vessel to move the full length of the river.
250
August was the busiest month of last year for the bridge operators with bridges being opened 250 times. Summer months are the busiest time of year for river traffic, in the the winter, bridges can open as little as 150 times per month.
