Gateshead Millennium Bridge

Gateshead Millennium Bridge
Above: Gateshead Millennium Bridge, looking west along the River Tyne, as viewed from the Gateshead side Below: Gateshead Millennium Bridge when tilted, as viewed from the Gateshead side
Coordinates	54°58′11″N 1°35′57″W / 54.9698°N 1.5992°W / 54.9698; -1.5992
OS grid reference	NZ256639
Carries	Cyclists Pedestrians
Crosses	River Tyne
Locale	Tyneside
Official name	Gateshead Millennium Bridge
Other name(s)	The Blinking Eye Bridge The Winking Eye Bridge
Owner	Gateshead Council
Website	www.gateshead.gov.uk/article/4594/Gateshead-Millennium-Bridge
Preceded by	Tyne Bridge
Followed by	Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnels
Characteristics
Design	Tilt bridge
Material	Steel
Pier construction	Concrete
Total length	126 m (413 ft)
Width	8 m (26 ft)
Longest span	105 m (344 ft)
History
Architect	WilkinsonEyre
Engineering design by	Gifford
Constructed by	Volker Stevin
Fabrication by	Watson Steel
Construction end	28 June 2001
Construction cost	£22 million
Opened	17 September 2001 (2001-09-17)
Inaugurated	7 May 2002 by Queen Elizabeth II
Location

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.^[1] Opened for public use in 2001, the award-winning^[2] structure was conceived and designed by architectural practice WilkinsonEyre and structural engineering firm Gifford.^[3] The bridge is sometimes called the 'Blinking Eye Bridge'^[4] or the 'Winking Eye Bridge'^[5] 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.