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”.
LINKS:
Plaque Unveiled for 25th Anniversary of Gateshead Millennium Bridge – September 2026
To mark exactly 25 years to the day since it opened to the public in 2001 the Gateshead Millennium Bridge was accredited as a World Origin Site for being the world’s first tilting bridge. Architect Dominic Bettison from WilkinsonEyre, the architects of the structure joined the Mayor of Gateshead, the Deputy Mayor of Newcastle and local school children to unveil the plaque and tilt the bridge especially for this historic occasion.
This site was championed by the Bailey family.
