Explore Humber Bridge statistics, including key traffic data, number of crossings, usage figures and trends that help you understand how this iconic bridge is used daily. This page shares official figures and insights into patterns of bridge usage over time.
The Humber Bridge spans the Humber Estuary, linking Hessle in East Yorkshire with Barton upon Humber in North Lincolnshire. When it opened in 1981, it held the record as the world’s longest single-span suspension bridge until 1998. Today, it remains the longest of its kind in the UK, the fourteenth longest worldwide, and one of the longest single span suspension bridges that also provides dedicated access for cyclists and pedestrians.
The road deck has an aerodynamic design, like an upside-down aircraft wing. This keeps the deck stable during high winds. 124 steel box sections weighing over 17,000 tonnes make up the road deck. The concrete towers are 155.5 metres (510 feet) tall and were built to be 36mm further apart from each other at the top than at the bottom, to allow for the curvature of the Earth. Anchorage to anchorage the Bridge is 2,200 metres or around 1.4 miles. The 3 spans are; Hessle side span (280 metres), Barton side span (530 metres) and the main centre span (1410 metres). There is enough wire used in the bridge to go around the Moon more than six times.
| Total Length | 1.38 miles (2.22 km) |
| Main Span | 4626 feet (1410 m) |
| Side Span (north) | 919 feet (280 m) |
| Side Span (south) | 1739 feet (530 m) |
| Clearance Over High Water Level | 98 feet (30 m) |
| Carriageways | Dual two lane carriageway plus footpaths |
| Total Deck Width | 93 feet (28.5 m) |
| Tower Height | 510 feet (155 m) |
| Diameter of Main Cable | 2.2 feet (0.68 m) |
| Main Cables | Two cables, each of 14,948 wires of 5mm diameter and 1,540 N/mm2 UTS plus an additional 800 similar wires in each cable on the Hessle side |
| Maximum Load in One Main Cable | 19,400 tons |
| Total Weight of Wire in Two Main Cables | 11,000 tons |
| Total Length of Wire | 44,000 miles (71000km) |
| Total Weight in Concrete | 480,000 tonnes |
| Weight of Deck Structure | 16,500 tonnes |
| Weight of Main Cables | 11,000 tonnes |
| Hessle Anchorage Foundation Depth | 21 m |
| Barton Anchorage Foundation Depth | 35 m |
| Hessle Tower Foundation Depth | 8 m |
| Barton Tower Foundation Depth | 36 m |