Built in 1911 under a 1907 Act of Parliament, the Transporter Bridge, which spans the River Tees, reflects the dynamic industrial heritage of our area. It is capable of carrying 600 people at a time. You drive or walk into a cradle that is suspended beneath the main span of the bridge and which carries its load of cars and pedestrians across the Tees some 160ft above the river in just two and a half minutes. It has featured in the film Billy Elliott and the television series Auf Auf WiedersehenPet, in which it was demolished and shipped off to the United States.

The Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge has been a symbol of the area since it was opened in 1911. There are only two other Transporter Bridges still in existence in Britain. These bridges are at Newport (Gwent), opened 1906 and Warrington, opened 1916.

The Middlesbrough Transporter is a total of 851 feet (259.3 metres) in length which makes it the longest of those remaining in the world. Its cantilever construction has three main bridge spans that give it its unique appearance. The bridge is, effectively, two almost independent structures joined at the centre of the River Tees. Each half of the bridge has an 'anchor' span of 140 feet (42.6 metres) and then cantilevers across the river some 285 feet (86.8 metres) from the tower leg to meet its twin from the opposite bank. The passenger gondola is suspended by steel cables and runs on a wheel and rail system approximately 160 feet (48.7 metres) above the River Tees.

Whilst Middlesbrough's Transporter is the largest operational Transporter Bridge the largest bridge ever of this type is recorded as 1000 feet (304.7 metres) in length, built over the River Mersey near Widnes. That bridge closed in 1961 and has, sadly, now been demolished. As far as has been researched, there have been some twenty Transporter Bridges constructed around the world, of which only eleven still exist and a lesser number again are still in regular use. The first bridge, near Bilbao, Spain, opened in 1893. All the bridges were constructed in the twenty-three years between 1893 and 1916 and of the nine demolished structures an average life of thirty-six years was achieved.

The Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge is fully operational and provides a regular quarter-hourly service between Middlesbrough and Port Clarence for 18 hours a day. This service is interrupted from time to time for routine maintenance works, with some lengthier closures for major refurbishment. It remains the largest of the Transporter Bridges operating worldwide, and provides a valuable public transport service, crossing the river in two minutes.

In December 1993, the bridge was awarded the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' highest honour, The Heritage Plaque, for engineering excellence, in recognition of the Council's efforts in keeping the bridge in good working order. Its historical importance was also recognised in 1985 by its listing as a Grade II* Listed Building and its prominence as a local landmark was further enhanced in 1993 by the installation of flood lights that operate during the winter months.

In April 1996 local government reorganisation transferred the ownership of the bridge to Middlesbrough Council and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council with Middlesbrough Council responsible for the day-to-day running and maintenance of the Bridge.