2001 Gateshead Millennium Bridge over River Tyne at Newcastle, UK

(Satellite)

Street View, Aug 2014

Madfencer Photography posted
Simple Elegance. Reflections of the NewcastleGateshead Millennium Bridge, UK taken by me Madfencer Photography back in January 2021.

It is a movable bridge, and it was first tilted in Jun 2001. It opened to the public in Sep 2001. [gateshead_timeline]

gateshead_desgin, at source resolution
The Gateshead Millennium Bridge tilting
"The pedestrian deck is about a foot higher than the cycleway to provide clear views of the river and to allow a higher safety guard to be used for cyclists....The bridge tilts as a single, rigid structure. As the arch lowers, the pathway rises, each counterbalancing the other. This ensures a minimum amount of electricity is used during each tilt."

gateshead_facts
The Gateshead Millennium Bridge at night

• 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
• Can withstand a collision from a 4,000 tonne ship travelling at 4 knots
• Has concrete foundations stretching to 30 metres [98'], anchoring it to the river bed

gateshead_delivery
The Asian Hercules II carrying the bridge
"It was carried using Europe's largest floating crane - Asian Hercules II....Asian Hercules II has a deck the size of a football pitch. The main lifting legs project over 350 ft tall - some 60 ft higher than Big Ben and almost as tall as the London Eye Millennium Wheel."

Quora

Four photos from lusas. They helped with the design. They not only had to analyze the stresses in the final configuration, they had to analyze stresses in various stages of construction and various degrees of tilt. 

Whilst small river craft can sail beneath the bridge, for larger craft the cable-stayed double arched structure pivots at the abutments through an angle of 40 degrees to give the 25m navigational clearance as specified by the client, Gateshead Borough Council. Powered by eight electric motors, it takes approximately four minutes to rotate the 850 tonne dead weight of the structure to its fully open position. When raised the suspension cables lay horizontal holding the pair of arches together. Huge 14 tonne castings on either side support bearings which withstand the outward and radial thrusts imposed.

The130m long bridge deck is parabolic in elevation and of steel box section that tapers in plan towards the centre of the deck. It carries a pedestrian footway that varies from 3m to 5m in width as well as a 2.5m cantilevered cycleway. The main arch is also parabolic in shape and tapers both in plan and elevation.

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