Scale Lane Footbridge Scale Lane Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 53°44′33″N0°19′48″W / 53.7424°N 0.3299°W |
OS grid reference | TA 10248 28628 |
Characteristics | |
Material | Steel |
Total length | 53 m (58 yd) |
No. of spans | 2 |
Load limit | 1,000 people |
No. of lanes | One open lane |
History | |
Architect | McDowell+Renato Benedetti |
Designer | Renato Benedetti |
Engineering design by | (Structural) Alan Baxter Ltd. |
Construction start | 2005 |
Construction end | 2013 |
Construction cost | £7 million |
Inaugurated | 28 June 2013 |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | Pedestrians and cyclists |
Location | |
Scale Lane Footbridge is an apostrophe-shaped pedestrian swing bridge in Hull, England. The bridge has a rotating mechanism, allowing it to swing open horizontally, letting vessels pass beneath on the River Hull. It was the first bridge in the world to allow pedestrians to remain on the bridge while it is in motion.
Planning for the black steel Scale Lane Footbridge began in 2005, and McDowell+Benedetti won a competition. [1] [2] Alan Baxter Ltd was hired as the structural engineer on the project. [3] The bridge officially opened on 28 June 2013. [4] The bridge spans the harbour between Hull's Old Town and an industrial section of the city, [1] and was intended to connect the town centre to a planned housing development. [5] It crosses the old harbour which is connected to the River Humber. [6]
The bridge has a restaurant and other seating for bridge visitors, and cost £7 million. [5] It was the first in the world to allow people to remain on the bridge while it is opening and closing. [3]
The bridge is cantilevered [3] and it curves upwards to allow small boats to pass beneath and swings open to allow larger boats past. [1] Large gears and electric bevel gears are engaged for the opening and closing mechanism. [3] The main pivot point for the bridge is a 16 m (17 yd) hub. [7]
The bridge rotates slowly laterally, allowing pedestrians to remain on the bridge while it is rotating. [1] The design includes a barrier on the western side to prevent entry, while, on the eastern side, pedestrians can step on and off the bridge while it is in motion. The speed of the bridge opening and closing is 0.15 m (0.16 yd) per second. [3] The bridge weighs 1,000 tonnes and has a capacity of 1,000 people per crossing. [8] It is 53 m (58 yd) long and the cantilevered portion is 35 m (38 yd) long. [2]
From above, the bridge looks like an apostrophe. [1] Locals say that the bridge looks like the flipper in a pinball game. [5] Rowan Moore from The Guardian has said the bridge is designed in the style of Santiago Calatrava. [5]
The bridge allows pedestrians and cyclists, but prohibits motorised vehicles. [4]
The bridge has earned several awards and has been recognised internationally. [4] Popular Mechanics called it one of the "30 Most Impressive Bridges in the World". [9] The Economic Times included it in a list of "Engineering marvels". [10] The bridge is also featured in the book Britain's Greatest Bridges. [6]
The Millennium Bridge, officially known as the London Millennium Footbridge, is a steel suspension bridge for pedestrians crossing the River Thames in London, England, linking Bankside with the City of London. It is owned and maintained by Bridge House Estates, a charitable trust overseen by the City of London Corporation. Construction began in 1998, and it initially opened on 10 June 2000.
The River Hull is a navigable river in the East Riding of Yorkshire in Northern England. It rises from a series of springs to the west of Driffield, and enters the Humber Estuary at Kingston upon Hull. Following a period when the Archbishops of York charged tolls for its use, it became a free navigation. The upper reaches became part of the Driffield Navigation from 1770, after which they were again subject to tolls, and the section within the city of Hull came under the jurisdiction of the Port of Hull, with the same result.
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A tilt bridge is a type of moveable bridge which rotates about fixed endpoints rather than lifting or bending, as with a drawbridge. The tilting Gateshead Millennium Bridge spanning the River Tyne between Gateshead on the south bank and Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on the north is a pedestrian bridge with two large hydraulic rams at each side that tilt the structure back allowing small watercraft to pass under.
Barmouth Bridge, or Barmouth Viaduct is a Grade II* listed single-track wooden railway viaduct across the estuary of the River Mawddach near Barmouth, Wales. It is 900 yards (820 m) long and carries the Cambrian Line. It is the longest timber viaduct in Wales and one of the oldest in regular use in Britain.
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The Infinity Bridge is a public pedestrian and cycle footbridge across the River Tees in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in northern England. The bridge is situated one kilometre downriver of Stockton town centre, between the Princess of Wales Bridge and the Tees Barrage. It connects the Teesdale Business Park and the University of Durham's Queen's Campus in Thornaby-on-Tees on the south bank of the Tees with the Tees Valley Regeneration's £320 million North Shore development on the north bank.
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The year 2013 in architecture involved some significant architectural events and new buildings.
Renato Benedetti is a Canadian born and educated architect. He studied at the University of Waterloo and has practiced in London since 1989. He founded Benedetti Architects in 2016 following twenty years of partnership with Jonathan McDowell as co-directors of the multi award-winning practice McDowell+Benedetti. Celebrated projects by McDowell+Benedetti include Scale Lane Bridge in Hull and Castleford Bridge in Yorkshire.
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