Braddan Bridge

Braddan Bridge carries the A1 and A6 across the River Dhoo in Douglas between two roundabouts. It is the only significant multiplex on the island.

The Bridge

The newer, upstream face of the bridge

The bridge consists of a single arched span across the river. The downstream side of the bridge is the older, stone bridge, which has been substantially widened in 1927 with Mass Concrete. This allowed the road to be skewed across the river, and means that very little, if any, of the carriageway now crosses the older stone bridge, the bridge deck now forming part of the parking area in front of Braddan Old Church. On the east side of the river, the roadway has long been carried on a stone embankment section, which was cut through in 1880 with the construction of the Douglas to Peel Railway line. This bridge is topped by a concrete slab, forming a square opening through the embankment, and it too was slightly widened in 1927 with the skewed concrete work.

The road over the bridge consists of three lanes, one westbound and two eastbound to separate traffic on the approach to the roundabout. The roundabout on the west bank is around a corner, past Braddan Old Kirk. The extra width across the bridge was partly added to improve the TT Circuit, which follows the A1 through the junctions. Because of the TT using the A1, traffic cannot cross the bridge during races, and so to help people move around Douglas, the old railway line has been converted into a TT Access Road, with height and weight restrictions. This allows small vehicles to cross from the inside to the outside of the course during races, and appears to be the only such road on the whole island.

The Junctions

Tree in a mini roundabout!

On the east bank, the A1 approaches from the south on Peel Road, while the A6 comes in from the north on Braddan Road. They meet at a painted mini roundabout, which has a mature tree growing in the middle. It seems as if this junction was originally a sweeping T junction, with the A1 having priority, and the tree sitting in the middle of the carriageway, with hatching and turning lanes provided. The changes probably occurred between 2006 and 2010, when the A6 was turned into a semi-ring road around Douglas. Today all three approaches have two lanes to split turning traffic.

On the west bank, the two routes sweep around a bend to turn north before meeting the second junction. This too is a mini roundabout, but without a tree, and again each approach has two lanes. The A1 continues north on Peel Road, while the A6 turns right, climbing up between the old and new churches on Saddle Road.

Routes

Route	To	Notes
A1	Peel
A1	Douglas
A6	Airport
A6	Hospital, Ramsey, Laxey, Vehicle Testing Centre
TT Circuit	Peel
TT Circuit	Douglas
A23	Hospital, Strang, Onchan (A21)
B27	Ballaughton