[2] Newport Museum holds a silver cigar cutter which was presented to Viscount Tredegar on the day of the opening, as a memento of the occasion.

[3] The design was chosen because the river banks are very low at the desired crossing point (a few miles south of the city centre) where an ordinary bridge would need a very long approach ramp to attain sufficient height to allow ships to pass under, and a ferry could not be used during low tide at the site.

Power to propel the transporter platform or gondola is provided by two 35 hp (26.1 kW) electric motors, which in turn drive a large winch, situated in an elevated winding house at the eastern end of the bridge.

[7] Today, the bridge is considered an “iconic symbol” of the city of Newport, particularly as a mark of its industrial heritage.

[8] As well as a working transport link, the bridge is also open as a tourist attraction – visitors can climb the towers and walk across the upper deck for a small charge.

It was the focal point of the local millennium celebrations of 2000, where fireworks were fired from its length, and has been featured in several movies and television shows.

[9] £1.225 million was spent on refurbishment, financed by grants from the Welsh Government, Newport City Council and Cadw.

The bridge also appears in an early scene in the 1972 experimental film The Other Side of the Underneath by Jane Arden[citation needed] and features extensively in the 1996 video for the song "Talk to Me" by Newport band 60 Ft.