Stockton Bridge History: From 1825 Railway Viaduct to Queen Elizabeth II Bridge (1984)

The River Tees crossing at Stockton-on-Tees has seen two distinct structures on the same alignment:

1. The Original: Stockton & Darlington Railway Viaduct (1825)

• Designer: Ignatius Bonomi (architect for the S&DR).
• Structure: Wooden trestle viaduct on stone piers.
• Significance: Part of the world's first public steam railway (S&DR opened Sept 27, 1825). Carried Locomotion No. 1.
• Service: Railway use until 1950s (replaced by upstream diversion).

2. The Replacement: Queen Elizabeth II Bridge (1984)

• Opened: 18 July 1984 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
• Type: Concrete box girder road bridge (A66 trunk road).
• Span: Crosses Tees at the historic viaduct site.
• Context: Part of Stockton bypass / A66 dualling.

The 1825 viaduct was a pioneering railway structure; the 1984 bridge carries modern highway traffic. Both mark engineering epochs at the same river crossing.