Bridges - 39 The second Norris Bridge PREVIOUS       NEXT

When the Royal Aerospace Establishment (RAE) became the Defence, Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), plans to redevelop the Farnborough and Pyestock sites made it necessary to build a second Norris Bridge alongside the existing one.     There have been rapid changes round the airfield at Farnborough, though the famous Farnborough Air Show, held every two years, will continue. Eurofighter at Farnborough     All the old factory site has been abandoned, although some of the historic buildings, such as the 24 foot wind tunnel, will be preserved.     The staff have moved to new premises at Ball Hill, where Structures Department used to be and where the Concorde fatigue testing was done.     Immediately opposite, on the other side of the road at Pyestock, is what used to be the National Gas Turbine Establishment (NGTE). Back in the 1950s, NGTE’s engine test cells need for cooling water provided virtually the only source of income for the New Basingstoke Canal Company.     Now, sadly, these cells are also to close, but the rest of the establishment will be more closely linked with the rest of DERA when the NGTE and RAE sites become one.

To do this, the current public road from Norris Bridge to Farnborough has been re-routed through the NGTE site, leaving the engine test cells outside the boundary fence, presumably to be demolished eventually.     As part of the new road scheme, a gyratory system has been built at Norris Bridge, using the existing bridge and a new bridge alongside.   NEXT - Building the new bridge BACK

Last updated June 2001