The Tees Transporter Bridge, also referred to as the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge, is a bridge straddling the crossing points of the River Tees borders between Port Clarence in County Durham and Middlehaven in North Yorkshire, North East England. It is the furthest downstream bridge across the River Tees and the longest remaining transporter in the world. The bridge is grade II* listed and its winch house and piers are grade II listed. the bridge is not operational. When working, it carries a travelling 'car', or 'gondola', suspended below the fixed structure, across the river in 90 seconds. The gondola can carry 200 people, 9 cars, or 6 cars and one minibus. The bridge connects Middlesbrough, on the south bank, to Stockton on Tees, on the north bank and carries the A178 road from Middlesbrough to Hartlepool. History The idea of a transporter bridge across the River Tees was first mooted in 1872 when Charles Smith, Manager of the Hartlepool Iron Works, submitted a scheme to Middlesbrough Corporation. However, the scheme was not pursued, and it would not be until the new century that the idea of a transporter bridge across the river would again be revisited. Following a 1907 Act of Parliament the Bridge was built at a cost of £68,026 6s 8d (equivalent to £ in values), by Sir William Arrol & Co. of Glasgow between 1910 and 1911 to replace the 'Hugh Bell' and 'Erimus' steam ferry services. A transporter bridge was chosen because Parliament ruled that the new scheme of crossing the river had to avoid affecting the river navigation. Construction work started in July 1909 with caissons being used to allow workers to dig down to bedrock. This turned out to be below the high tide mark on the Middlesbrough side and on the other. The shafts that had been dug out by this process were then filled with concrete. The formal laying of the foundation stones, made of Aberdeen granite, took place in August 1910 when they were laid by Mayor of Middlesbrough Thomas Gibson-Poole and Alderman Joseph McLauchlan, the initiator of the transporter bridge scheme. The opening ceremony on 17 October 1911 was performed by Prince Arthur of Connaught. At its opening the bridge was painted red. During the First World War Middlesbrough was bombed by an L11 Zeppelin in April 1916. During this raid it was reported that a bomb fell through the