One of the most evocative views of the Humber Bridge is early in the morning when the piers rise through the low lying mist on the river.
When it opened in 1981, this was the longest single span suspension bridge in the world and soon became a major tourist attraction. Visitors came to admire the elegant span of the bridge and the two country parks on either side. Sponsored walks across the bridge were a popular fund raisers. Unfortunately it also attracts would be suicides
Now traffic zooms across the bridge with only a brief pause at the toll booth and hardly a thought to the politics which lead to its construction. The success of the Labour candidate, Kevin McNamara, won the Hull North by-election in 1966 by a narrow margin was attributed to his announcement of the construction of a bridge across the river Humber. Building was not easy and the bridge opened late and over budget.
New Holland pier on the south bank of the Humber can be seen from the bridge. This was the ferry terminal and had its own railway line and station. Passengers were carried across the Humber by steam driven paddle steamers. This was an adventure as you never knew whether you might get stuck on a sand bank at low tide.
