Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, Dartford, England

On 30 October 1991, the new 450 m span cable-stayed bridge across the River Thames between Thurrock and Dartford was opened by Her Majesty The Queen. In 1986 the Department of Transport invited bids for a privately funded crossing to provide an additional 4 lanes of capacity. In September 1986, the contract was awarded to Trafalgar House and its Partners for a bridge option. The Design and Construct Contract was awarded to the Cementation-Cleveland Dartford Consortium. The main cable-stayed bridge deck was designed jointly by Cleveland Structural Engineering Limited and Dr. Ing. Homberg. The substructure and services were designed by Trafalgar House Technology. The crossing is an 812 m long cable-stayed bridge, with a 450 m long main span and 118 m backspans and, when opened, was the longest of its type in Europe.