Reading Bridge
Reading Bridge is a road bridge over the River Thames at Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The bridge links the centre of Reading on the south bank with the Lower Caversham area of the cross-river suburb, and former village, of Caversham on the north bank. It crosses the river a short way above Caversham Lock. The current bridge is the first on the site, and was opened on 3 October 1923. It has a single reinforced concrete main span of , which was, at the time of construction, the longest such span in the United Kingdom. There are also two side arches for footpaths. The span rises to a height of at the centre, giving a navigation clearance of . The bridge deck is wide and carries a wide carriageway and two flanking footways. History Before the opening of Reading Bridge, the only road crossing between Reading and Caversham was at the Caversham Bridge site some upstream, which has accommodated a series of bridges since around the end of the 12th century. In later years, a narrow footbridge across the top of the weir at Caversham Lock, known locally as The Clappers, provided a supplementary pedestrian route, especially