Millennium Bridge

Millennium Bridge
Originally uploaded by CrazyDave53

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne in England between Gateshead on the south bank, and the Quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank. The award-winning structure was conceived and designed by architects Wilkinson Eyre and structural engineers Gifford. The bridge is often referred to as the 'Winking Eye Bridge' due to its elliptical shape and its rotational movement.

Its the world's first and only tilting bridge!

Interesting Facts:

* Featured on a first class stamp in 2000.

* 36,000 people lined the banks of the River Tyne to watch the bridge tilt for the first time on 20th November 2000.

* Contains enough steel to make 64 double decker buses or 16 Chieftain tanks.

* Cost £22m to build.

* 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, anchoring it to the river bed.

* Is powered by eight electric motors – enough power to run more than eight Ford Focus cars.

* Sits on 19,000 tonnes of concrete.

* Stretches 126 metres across the River Tyne.

* Was lowered into place by Europe's largest floating crane – Asian Hercules II.

* The very top of the arch stands 50 metres above the River Tyne when in its normal state.

* Weighs more than 800 tonnes.

* Is adjacent to an area called Baltic Square: an open-air performance space which has been host to a number of high profile events such as the first ever TOTP outdoor event in July 2004, Orange Evolution music festival 2005.

* Has been used in numerous television, film and media projects such as 55 Degrees North (BBC), the national football film GOAL! (GOAL Productions) and on the front cover of Bentley magazine.