Media City Footbridge

Media City Footbridge
Media City Footbridge at night
Other name(s)	Salford Quays Swing Bridge
Carries	Pedestrians
Crosses	Manchester Ship Canal
Locale	Salford Quays
Owner	Peel Group
Architect	Wilkinson Eyre
Designer	Gifford (structure), Pinniger (lighting)
Engineering design	Bennett Associates (Atkins)
Design	Cable-stay swing bridge
Material	Steel
Total length	83 metres
Width	6 - 19 metres
Height	31 metres
Longest span	65 metres
Number of spans	2
Piers in water	1
Vertical clearance	48 metres
Clearance below	4.77 metres
Constructed by	Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd
Fabrication by	Rowecord Engineering
Construction begin	September 2009
Construction end	2011
Construction cost	£11 million
Opened	2011
Coordinates	53°28′17″N 2°18′00″W / 53.4713°N 2.3001°W / 53.4713; -2.3001Coordinates: 53°28′17″N 2°18′00″W / 53.4713°N 2.3001°W / 53.4713; -2.3001

The Media City Footbridge is a swing-mechanism footbridge over the Manchester Ship Canal near MediaCityUK. It is an assymetric cable-stayed swing bridge.

History

It was built to serve the new development of MediaCity UK.

Design

It was designed by Wilkinson Eyre. It is similar in position to the Gateshead Millennium Bridge's proximity to Gateshead's The Sage Gateshead, the main arts venue for North East England. Both were designed by Wilkinson Eyre, and Gifford, and both have eye-catching unusual features. The Gateshead bridge is a more daring design.

The bridge links MediaCityUK with Trafford Wharf. It weighs 450 tonnes, and has two spans of 65 metres and 18 metres. It swings through 71 degrees to give a 48 metre navigation channel. The deck of the bridge is an orthotropic steel box.^[1] The bridge is supported by eight tapered steel fanned masts.

Construction

It was built by Balfour Beatty, with the steel fabrication by Rowecord Engineering of Newport, south Wales.

The swing mechanism is built on a reinforced concrete caisson foundation of 13 metres diameter. Above the water it is 7.3 metres in diameter.

See also

• Salford Quays lift bridge

References

1. ^ Bridge design

External links

• Rowecord Engineering
• Gifford
• IStructE