Abstract :
THE SECOND Severn Crossing (SSC) is the most recently constructed bridge over the estuary separating England and Wales. Five miles downstream from the original motorway link, which was constructed in the 1960s, the SSC closely follows the line of the Severn rail tunnel that has been in place for more than a century. It is also close to a ferry route that dates from the days of the Roman Empire, which illustrates how few crossing points there are.