Severn Crossing to be the Prince of Wales Bridge
THE SECOND Severn Crossing is to be renamed The Prince of Wales Bridge, it has been announced today.
The renaming of the crossing, which will take place later this year, will mark Prince Charles’ 70th birthday year and 60 years since he became the Prince of Wales.
The Queen gave him the title at the closing ceremony of the British Empire and Commonwealth Games which were held in Cardiff in 1958 when the Prince was nine years old. Now known as the Commonwealth Games, this year’s competition was officially opened by Prince Charles on behalf of the Queen on the Australian Gold Coast yesterday.
The prince will visit Wales later this year for a special ceremony to mark the change in name,
Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns announced.
Mr Cairns said: “I’m delighted to announce that – with the agreement of the Prime Minister and Her Majesty The Queen – the Second Severn Crossing will be renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge. The announcement is a fitting tribute to His Royal Highness in a year that sees him mark 60 years as the Prince of Wales and decades of continued dedicated service to our nation.
“Renaming one of the most iconic landmarks in Wales is a fitting way to formally recognise his commitment and dedication to Wales and the UK as the Prince of Wales.
“We look forward to marking the occasion at a special event later this year when the new Prince of Wales Bridge and its sister bridge will be seen as positive symbols of a newly invigorated economic and social partnership between south Wales and south west England and the strength of the United Kingdom.”
The renaming ceremony will take place months before tolls on the Severn crossings linking England with Wales are due to be abolished for all vehicles at the end of 2018.
The toll has been in place since the first Severn Bridge was opened in 1966, when the charge stood at two shillings and sixpence – the equivalent of 12.5p in decimal currency.
At the beginning of this year the tolls were reduced after the abolition of VAT on the charges as the crossings returned to public ownership, with Highways England, a UK-Government owned body, taking over responsibility for the bridges’ operation and management from Severn River Crossing PLC.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “Lower charges on the Severn bridges have already saved drivers more than £3m – helping boost the economy in Wales and the south west. This is a great way to usher in a new era for this iconic crossing.
“When the tolls are removed by the end of this year more people will be able to take advantage of even more new job and business opportunities on both sides of the Prince of Wales bridge.”
The Government say the axing of tolls will save car drivers who use the crossing every day a minimum of £115 a month while businesses across the area will see a further benefit by seeing an end to the £16.70 charge for lorries.
The south Wales economy alone is set to receive a boost of around £100m a year, it has been claimed.
They also say it will drive the “biggest economic stimulus Wales has seen in decades”.
The tolls were reduced in January for the first time, meaning cars now pay £5.60 instead of £6.70, small buses or vans pay £11.20 instead of £13.40, and lorries and coaches pay £16.70 instead of £20.