Pen-y-Clip Viaducts
Penmaenmawr
I only found about these viaducts quite recently. Travelling across the A55 eastbound they are just another stretch of road. They are hidden unless you visit at low tide or have a drone :)
Looking into the history, the Pen-y-clip headland has been a difficult spot for travel along the coast. With its close location to the hills and mountains of Snowdonia you would think the coast would be the easiest route. But to get around this rocky headland Thomas Telford built a road in 1820's(above the road viaduct in this photo). This was followed by a Railway viaduct in the 1840's. 100 years(1935) later the road was improved with tunnels and another viaduct.
"The road was opened on 5 October 1935 by L. Hore-Belisha, Minister of Transport. It comprised tunnels of 180 and 100 feet either side of a seven arch viaduct. Each arch was 80 feet and maximum height was 95 feet. The piers of the viaduct had to be sunk 31 feet into the ground to counteract movement of the mountain side. Contractor was M.A. Boswell of Wolverhampton, cost £200,000. Originally for two-way traffic, it became the eastbound carriageway after the South tunnel was opened in 1993.."
www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/extra-road-midd...
Pen-y-Clip Viaducts
Penmaenmawr
I only found about these viaducts quite recently. Travelling across the A55 eastbound they are just another stretch of road. They are hidden unless you visit at low tide or have a drone :)
Looking into the history, the Pen-y-clip headland has been a difficult spot for travel along the coast. With its close location to the hills and mountains of Snowdonia you would think the coast would be the easiest route. But to get around this rocky headland Thomas Telford built a road in 1820's(above the road viaduct in this photo). This was followed by a Railway viaduct in the 1840's. 100 years(1935) later the road was improved with tunnels and another viaduct.
"The road was opened on 5 October 1935 by L. Hore-Belisha, Minister of Transport. It comprised tunnels of 180 and 100 feet either side of a seven arch viaduct. Each arch was 80 feet and maximum height was 95 feet. The piers of the viaduct had to be sunk 31 feet into the ground to counteract movement of the mountain side. Contractor was M.A. Boswell of Wolverhampton, cost £200,000. Originally for two-way traffic, it became the eastbound carriageway after the South tunnel was opened in 1993.."
www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/extra-road-midd...