 The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cycle bridge spanning the River Tyne in
England between Gateshead on the south bank, and Newcastle upon
Tyne on the north bank. The award-winning structure was conceived by
architects Wilkinson
Eyre, with structural engineers Gifford.
The bridge was lifted into place in one piece by the Asian Hercules
II, one of the world's largest floating cranes, on 20 November 2000. It was opened to the public on 17 September 2001. The bridge, which cost £22m to build, was part funded by the Millennium
Commission and European Regional Development
Fund.
Already acclaimed worldwide for its physical and aesthetic beauty, it has
fast become a significant tourist attraction in its own right.
Minuscule hydraulic
rams, one on each side, tilt the bridge back on special pivots to allow
small ships and boats to pass underneath. Its appearance during this manoeuvre
has led to it being nicknamed the Blinking Eye Bridge.
The bridge has operated reliably since construction, opening to allow river
traffic to pass. It also opens periodically for sightseers and for major events
such as the Northumbrian Water
University Boat Race and the Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Race. Its
reputation was untarnished until October 2004 when the failure of a £200 GBP
circuit board prevented the bridge from opening.
The construction of the bridge won the architects Wilkinson Eyre the 2002 Royal Institute of British
Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize. In so doing they became the
first, and so far the only, firm of architects to retain British architecture's
most prestigious prize - after winning the prize in 2001 for the Magna Science Adventure Centre.
In 2005, the bridge received the Outstanding Structure Award from IABSE
(International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering).
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