aerial photograph of Tamar Bridges Plymouth Devon UK. The River Tamar is crossed by two bridges built adjacent to one another, the Tamar Bridge opened in 1962, which carries the A38 road , and the Royal Albert Bridge opened in 1859 which carries the Cornish Main Line railway. The Tamar Bridge was built by the Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company and took 3 years to construct. In 199 to 2002 it was partially rebuilt with additional carryings and strengthening. The Royal Albert Bridge is one of the most iconic structures in South West England. The 138.7 m long bridge with its distinctive lenticular iron trusses was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and took 4 years to build. The bridge was opened by Prince Albert in 1859 not long before Brunel died at the age of just 53.