The Old Bridge was opened on 14 May 1914 by the Countess of Darnley. It carries two lanes for traffic travelling from Rochester towards Strood, a cycle lane and a footway. About 16,000 vehicles use the bridge every day.The Old Bridge has four spans. These are called the Rochester Span (43 metres), the Main Span (52 metres), the Strood Span (43metres) and the Old Ships’ Passage (15 metres). The bridge is made of steel.  Three of the spans are bowstring trusses, a name which describes the arched shape that looks like a bow which might be used for archery.The Old Ships’ Passage was originally built as a swing bridge which could be moved out of the way to allow large boats to get past. If you look at the bridge you will see three windows in the pier closest to the Strood side. This is the room where the machinery was kept to open the swing bridge.  The machinery was removed and the swing bridge was fixed shut many years ago.