WHAT:
Tilting Bridge
WHERE:
Gateshead Millennium Bridge, S Shore Rd, Gateshead, NE8 3BA, UK
LOCATION:
WHEN:
Opened 17th September 2001
WHO:
WilkinsonEyre
Gifford & Partners
Gateshead Council
DETAILS:
The Gateshead Millennium Bridge holds the title of the world’s first tilting bridge, elegantly spanning the River Tyne to connect Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne. Designed by the architectural practice WilkinsonEyre and structural engineering firm Gifford, this £22 million pedestrian and cyclist crossing officially opened to the public in September 2001. The structure consists of two main steel elements: a curved deck for people to cross and a supporting arch, which are joined together by 18 suspension cables. Rather than opening in the middle like a traditional drawbridge, six hydraulic rams act in synchronisation to rotate the entire 850,000 kg structure as a single piece. The bridge tilts up to 40 degrees in approximately four minutes, lowering the supporting arch whilst raising the pedestrian deck to create 25 metres of clearance for ships to pass underneath. This smooth, rotational movement has earned the striking landmark its popular nickname as the “Blinking Eye Bridge”.
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