Bernard Wex; British Bridge Designer

Bernard Wex, 68, designer of the world’s longest suspension bridge span, the Humber Estuary Bridge in northeast England, which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1981. The Guinness Book of World Records lists its primary span, measuring 4,626 feet, as the world’s longest. Wax graduated with honors in civil engineering from London’s Imperial College in 1951, then joined the firm of Freeman Fox, working under the internationally renowned bridge designer Gilbert Roberts. Wex was involved in the design of several important bridges under the guidance of Roberts and, later, Oleg Kerensky, including the Auckland Harbor Bridge in New Zealand. He was honored in 1982 by the queen, who made him an officer of the Order of the British Empire. The Independent, a London newspaper, reported that Wex died on July 31. It stated no cause of death and gave no explanation for the delay in reporting it.