Gateshead Millennium Bridge

Spanning the River Tyne From Newcastle to Gateshead

Nov 15, 2007

Nicknamed "The Winking Eye", the Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a world famous landmark with its tall white arch and it's the only tilting bridge in the world.

Reason for Building the Gateshead Millennium Bridge

Although Newcastle has six bridges crossing the River Tyne, none of them are dedicated to cyclists and pedestrians. As part of the regeneration project of Gateshead Quay, it was decided to build a foot bridge in order to connect the newest venues such as The Sage and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art to downtown Newcastle. At the Newcastle Quay, there is a scenic walkway and bicycle path along the river connecting to the Gateshead Millennium Bridge

Designing the Gateshead Millennium Bridge

In 1996, Gateshead Council hosted a competition whereby architectural companies could submit designs for the foot bridge but with specific criteria:

Clearance for the ships on the River Tyne
World famous view of the existing bridges could not be overshadowed
Quayside could not be obstructed

Once Council reviewed 150 submissions, they created a shortlist of finalists and the residents of Gateshead voted for their favourite design. The selection of the winners, Wilkinson & Eyre Architects and Gifford & Partners was announced in February 1997. The bridge was opened to the public 4 ½ years later.

Manufacturing and Installing of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge

The bridge sections were fabricated at Watson Steel, Bolton and then transported section by section from to the AMEC works in Wallsend, Newcastle. AMEC welded the sections together and painted the bridge with a weather resistant paint.

In November 2000, the finished bridge was transported six miles up the river to its final position. It was carried using Europe's largest floating crane, the Asian Hercules II. This crane has been featured on television several times.

At several narrow parts along the River Tyne, the bridge was too wide. It had to be turned sideways in order to squeeze through. It was lowered into position with approximately 1 inch to spare.

The bridge was opened to the public in Sept 2001. On May 7th 2002, the official opening was performed by Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, who were in the region as part of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Celebrations.

Features of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge

The bridge comprises of two steel arches that are joined at both ends. The hydraulic system at each end of the bridge is enclosed by glass canopies.
One arch is a curved flat deck that sits directly over the river. It has a cycle path and pedestrian walkway that sits about a foot higher than the cycle lane. This allows a clearly defined route for both pedestrians and cyclists.
The second arch rises high above the river and is connected to the pedestrian deck by a series of suspended cables.
The bridge tilts as a single rigid structure. When the pedestrian deck moves upwards, the arch moves downwards in order to counterbalance each other. At full tilt, the arch and pedestrian deck are the same distance above the water
The arch is illuminated with a series of high powered lights. During the week, it is lit with a white light and on the weekend it changes colour.
The pedestrian deck and cycle path are lit with white LED lights. When the bridge is clear for crossing, green LEDs on the ground light up in shape of an arrow. When the bridge is closed, red LEDs light up in the shape of a “no entry” symbol.
Underneath the pedestrian deck, there are lights that shine onto the water and create an impressive reflection.
A siren is used to alert pedestrians and cyclists when the bridge is ready to tilt. All lights are turned off when the bridge is tilted in order avoid any distraction to the ships that are passing below.

Facts about the Gateshead Millennium Bridge

The building cost was £22m
The bridge stretches 126 metres across the River Tyne and the top arch stands 50 metres when in upright position.
Each opening and closing takes four and a half minutes.
Cleans up its own litter – anything dropped on the deck automatically rolls into special traps at each end of the bridge each time it opens. The eight electric motors have enough power to run more than eight Ford Focus cars.
The bridge was featured on a first class stamp in 2000.
Approximately 36,000 people lined the banks of the River Tyne to watch the bridge tilt for the first time on 20th November 2000
The bridge is the proud recipient of over 20 design awards and 5 lighting awards.

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a must-see if visiting Newcastle. You can enjoy a spectacular view of the bridge at any time of day or night by looking at live cams on the Tyne Bridge.

Sources Used:

Gateshead Government UK

Pictures used with permission from Newcastle Gateshead Initiative

The copyright of the article Gateshead Millennium Bridge in England Travel is owned by Maureen K. Fleury. Permission to republish Gateshead Millennium Bridge must be granted by the author in writing.