of Transport announced it would not be providing financial support for the bridge which again put the project on hold. Planning In the mid 1960s it became clear to the council that some form of action would have to be taken. The floating bridges were reaching the end of their life requiring an expensive refit or replacement and the compulsory purchase powers under the 1960 Act would expire in 1973. With no possibility of funding from the Ministry of Transport the council started to look into the possibility of constructing a toll bridge. The council requested a formal report on the possibility of a toll bridge from the city Engineer and Surveyor in October 1969 and the report was delivered on 12 March 1970. It recommended a two lane high level bridge with 80 feet of head-space to allow ships from the dockyards upstream to pass under it. A bridge with an opening span was rejected on the basis of the disruption it would cause to traffic every time it had to open. With a toll bridge having been decided upon, it was decided it could also be used to control traffic levels over the bridge to avoid the need to significantly upgrade local roads. This was unpopular with motoring organisations who opposed the council's attempt to get a bill through parliament to authorise the toll bridge. This opposition was overcome after debate at parliamentary committee level and the council obtained its act of parliament in July 1973. The contract for building the bridge was then put out for tender and was awarded to the lowest bidder, Kier Group (then Kier ltd), at a price of £5,710,630. Construction The ceremonial start of construction took place on 22 March 1974 with the Mayor of Southampton driving the first pile. Along with basic site preparation, the first job was the construction of two jetties, one from each bank, to the position in the Itchen where the two piers in the river would be built. The jetty from the east bank was built first with the one on the west bank being delayed by the need to fill in an area of shallow water known as the Chapel Inlet. Once preparation was complete long piles were driven into the ground. Transport limitations meant the piles had to be brought in sections before being welded together onsite. The piling process on the east bank