Media City Footbridge

Last updated

MediaCityUK Footbridge
Salford quays swing bridge.jpg
MediaCityUK Footbridge at night
Coordinates 53°28′17″N2°18′00″W / 53.4713°N 2.3001°W / 53.4713; -2.3001 Coordinates: 53°28′17″N2°18′00″W / 53.4713°N 2.3001°W / 53.4713; -2.3001
CarriesPedestrians
Crosses Manchester Ship Canal
Locale MediaCityUK, Salford Quays
Other name(s)Salford Quays Swing Bridge
Owner Peel Group
Characteristics
DesignCable-stay swing bridge
MaterialSteel
Total length83 metres (272 ft)
Width6–19 metres (20–62 ft)
Height31 metres (102 ft)
Longest span65 metres (213 ft)
No. of spans2
Piers in water1
Clearance above 48 metres (157 ft)
Clearance below 4.77 metres (15.6 ft)
History
Architect Wilkinson Eyre
Designer Gifford (structure), Pinniger (lighting)
Engineering design byBennett Associates (Atkins) KGAL
Constructed by Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd
Fabrication by Rowecord Engineering
Construction startSeptember 2009
Construction end2011
Construction cost£11 million
Opened2011
Location
Media City Footbridge

The Media City Footbridge is a swing-mechanism footbridge over the Manchester Ship Canal near MediaCityUK. It is an asymmetric cable-stayed swing bridge and was completed in 2011. [1] It was designed by Gifford (now part of the Ramboll Group) and Wilkinson Eyre. [2]

Contents

The pedestrian bridge links MediaCityUK with the Imperial War Museum North on Trafford Wharf. [3] It weighs 450 tonnes, and has two spans of 65 and 18 metres (213 and 59 ft). It swings through 71 degrees to give a 48-metre (157 ft) navigation channel. [1] The deck of the bridge is an orthotropic steel box. [4] The bridge is supported by eight tapered steel fanned masts. It was built by Balfour Beatty, with the steel fabrication by Rowecord Engineering of Newport, South Wales.[ citation needed ] The swing mechanism is built on a reinforced concrete caisson foundation of 13 metres (43 ft) diameter. Above the water it is 7.3 metres (24 ft) in diameter.[ citation needed ]

See also

The MediaCityUK Footbridge seen at night during the MediaCityUK Lightwaves Festival 2018 from the southern bank looking north-west towards the BBC buildings. MediaCityUK Footbridge at Night.jpg
The MediaCityUK Footbridge seen at night during the MediaCityUK Lightwaves Festival 2018 from the southern bank looking north-west towards the BBC buildings.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castlefield</span> Human settlement in England

Castlefield is an inner-city conservation area in Manchester, North West England. The conservation area which bears its name is bounded by the River Irwell, Quay Street, Deansgate and Chester Road. It was the site of the Roman era fort of Mamucium or Mancunium which gave its name to Manchester. It was the terminus of the Bridgewater Canal, the world's first industrial canal, built in 1764; the oldest canal warehouse opened in 1779. The world's first passenger railway terminated here in 1830, at Liverpool Road railway station and the first railway warehouse opened here in 1831.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges</span> Bridges in London

The Hungerford Bridge crosses the River Thames in London, and lies between Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge. Owned by Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd it is a steel truss railway bridge flanked by two more recent, cable-stayed, pedestrian bridges that share the railway bridge's foundation piers, and which are named the Golden Jubilee Bridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gateshead Millennium Bridge</span> Pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge between Newcastle and Gateshead spanning the River Tyne

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne between Gateshead arts quarter on the south bank and Newcastle upon Tyne's Quayside area on the north bank. It was the first tilting bridge ever to be constructed. Opened for public use in 2001, the award-winning structure was conceived and designed by architectural practice WilkinsonEyre and structural engineering firm Gifford. The bridge is sometimes called the 'Blinking Eye Bridge' or the 'Winking Eye Bridge' due to its shape and its tilting method. The Millennium Bridge stands as the twentieth tallest structure in the city, and is shorter in stature than the neighbouring Tyne Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salford Quays</span> Area of City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England

Salford Quays is an area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom following the closure of the dockyards in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester docks</span> Series of docks in Manchester, UK

Manchester docks were a series of nine docks in Salford, Stretford and Manchester at the east end of the Manchester Ship Canal in North West England. They formed part of the Port of Manchester from 1894 until their closure in 1982. The docks marked the upper reaches of the ship canal, and were a destination for both coastal and ocean-bound vessels carrying cargo and a limited number of passengers, often travelling to and from Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Irwell</span> River in Lancashire, United Kingdom

The River Irwell is a tributary of the River Mersey in north west England. It rises at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately 1+12 miles north of Bacup and flows southwards for 39 mi (63 km) to meet the Mersey near Irlam. The Irwell marks the boundary between Manchester and Salford, and its lower reaches have been canalised and now form part of the Manchester Ship Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Footbridge</span> Bridge designed solely for pedestrians

A footbridge is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians. While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a height above the ground", a footbridge can also be a lower structure, such as a boardwalk, that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. Bridges range from stepping stones–possibly the earliest man-made structure to "bridge" water–to elaborate steel structures. Another early bridge would have been simply a fallen tree. In some cases a footbridge can be both functional and artistic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lowry</span> Arts centre in Salford, England

The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex opened on 28 April 2000 and was officially opened on 12 October 2000 by Queen Elizabeth II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newport City footbridge</span> Bridge over the River Usk in South Wales

Newport City footbridge is a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the River Usk in the city of Newport, South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MediaCityUK</span> Property development in Salford

MediaCityUK is a 200-acre (81 ha) mixed-use property development on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in Salford, City of Manchester, England. The project was developed by Peel Media; its principal tenants are media organisations and the Quayside MediaCityUK shopping centre. The land occupied by the development was part of the Port of Manchester and Manchester Docks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Structural Awards</span>

The Institution of Structural Engineers' Structural Awards have been awarded for the structural design of buildings and infrastructure since 1968. The awards were re-organised in 2006 to include ten categories and the Supreme Award for structural engineering excellence, the highest award a structural project can win.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gifford (company)</span> British company

Gifford is part of the Ramboll Group, providing engineering consultancy, design, planning, project management and consulting services for buildings, infrastructure and the environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salford Quays lift bridge</span> Bridge

The Salford Quays lift bridge, also known as the Salford Quays Millennium footbridge or the Lowry bridge, is a 91.2-metre (299 ft) long vertical lift bridge spanning the Manchester Ship Canal between Salford and Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. The pedestrian bridge, which was completed in 2000, is near the terminus of the ship canal at the old Manchester Docks. It is sited beside The Lowry theatre and gallery and links Salford Quays and MediaCityUK to Trafford Wharf and the Imperial War Museum North. It has a lift of 18 metres (59 ft), allowing large watercraft to pass beneath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hulme Arch Bridge</span> Bridge in Hulme, Manchester, England

The Hulme Arch Bridge in Hulme, Manchester, England, supports Stretford Road as it passes over Princess Road, and is located at grid reference SJ838968. The construction of the bridge formed part of the regeneration of the Hulme district of Manchester, both by re-establishing the former route of Stretford Road, which had been cut into two halves by the construction of Princess Road in 1969, and by providing a local landmark. The location was previously occupied by a footbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barton Road Swing Bridge</span> Bridge for road traffic in Greater Manchester, England

Barton Road Swing Bridge is a swing bridge for road traffic in Greater Manchester that crosses the Manchester Ship Canal between Trafford Park in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford to Barton-upon-Irwell in the City of Salford. The bridge is a Grade II listed building, and is part of a surrounding conservation area. It runs parallel to the Barton Swing Aqueduct which carries the Bridgewater Canal. The bridge opens regularly for traffic along the Manchester Ship Canal, which can cause delays for road traffic.

The year 2011 in architecture involved some significant architectural events and new buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Sails Bridge</span> Bridge in Poole, Dorset

The Twin Sails Bridge is a double leaved bascule bridge in Poole, Dorset, England. The bridge provides a second road link from Poole Town Centre to Hamworthy. The intention is that the bridge will allow development of four major sites, two in Poole Town Centre and two in Hamworthy, including the old power station, which was closed in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rowecord Engineering</span> Former Welsh structural steel contractor

Rowecord Engineering Ltd was a Welsh structural steel contractor that specialised in sports facilities, footbridges, and heavy industry. Landmark works include the Olympic Aquatics Centre roof, Mary Rose Museum, Cardiff City Stadium, Liberty Stadium and Newport City footbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lille Langebro</span> Pedestrian double-swing bridge in Denmark

Lille Langebro, is located close to and named after the Langebro bridge, is a walking and cycling bridge in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was designed by WilkinsonEyre and it is classified as a double-swing bridge. The unique visual elements include the twisted and curved design.

References

  1. 1 2 Schofield, Jonathan (2015). My Guide to Manchester. Manchester: Manchester Books. p. 140. ISBN   978 0 9927590 1 8.
  2. Media City Footbridge, Wilkinson Eyre, archived from the original on 23 April 2012, retrieved 4 April 2014
  3. Gray, Edward (2000). Salford Quays. The Story of the Manchester Docks. Manchester: Memories Publications. p. 99. ISBN   1 899181 88 1.
  4. Bridge design Archived 25 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine