The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
20 years of the Millennium Bridge
A MODERN landmark. An engineering marvel. A tourist attraction. A potent symbol of 21st-century Tyneside. And, quite simply, a very handy way of crossing the River Tyne at the Quayside.
It’s 20 years since the first eager pedestrians set foot on the spectacular, newly-opened foot and cycle bridge that linked Newcastle and Gateshead.
“Thousands of Tynesiders finally got the chance to walk across the Gateshead Millennium Bridge today,” The Chronicle reported on Monday, September 17, 2001.
“The £22m structure opened to the public this afternoon following weekend celebrations.
“It is the world’s only rotating bridge and the first opening bridge to be built across the River Tyne for more than 100 years.
“People have wanted to use it since last November when it was lifted into place by a huge floating crane.
“It captured the imagination again in June when the first flotilla of boats sailed underneath while it was fully tilted.
“The countdown to today took place at the weekend as revellers enjoyed a
feast of celebrations in Baltic Square – including the first look at the bridge’s multi-coloured lighting.
“The bridge provides a footpath and cycleway linking Newcastle Quayside to the new arts, cultural and leisure developments at Gateshead Quays.”
Despite the Tyneside drizzle and cloud, it was a day of excitement.
At 1pm, three civic parties were the first to cross the bridge from Gateshead to Newcastle. Then at 1.40pm, to the sound of music composed for the event, it was tilted open then closed to signal it was finally open to the public.
With schoolchildren singing a specially composed song, pedestrians stepped on to the gleaming new structure at 2pm, followed by a group of cyclists.
And so a star was born, heralding a new beginning for a Quayside that had become increasingly down-at-heel and disused as industrial and maritime decline took hold in the closing decades of the last century.
In 2002, Gateshead would welcome the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, opened in a former giant flour mill building; two years later, Sage Gateshead with its distinctive curved steel roof was unveiled as a major regional music venue; and in 2008, Gateshead College relocated from Low Fell to a £39m new campus on the Baltic Quayside.
Meanwhile, new bars, restaurants and hotels would further enhance the Quayside’s reputation as as one of the region’s foremost leisure and cultural destinations, all in the formidable shadow of the Tyne’s spectacular bridges, and with a historic backdrop that included the 11th-century castle and cathedral.
The story of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge had begun in 1996 when Gateshead Council entered the race for millennium funding and announced a design competition for a new bridge.
More than 150 entries were received from architects and engineers around the world. From a shortlist of six, the entry from Gifford and Partners (engineers) and Wilkinson Eyre (architects) was unanimously chosen by judges.
The frame was soon under construction at the Amec Yard in Wallsend. In October 2000, one of the world’s largest floating cranes, Asian Hercules II, arrived on Tyneside to carry the 850tonne bridge five miles upriver and carefully lift it into position at the Quayside.
On November 20, 2000, thousands lined the Tyne and millions watched on TV as the Millennium Bridge, carried by the Asian Hercules, made its slow spectacular way up river.
The sophisticated, precision-engineering operation of lowering the bridge into place was carried out to perfection, and Tyneside had a stunning new landmark – although there would be a 10-month wait before it became fully operational.
The Gateshead Millennium Bridge became the seventh crossing to link Newcastle and Gateshead across that stretch of the Tyne.
And it was an instant hit, as crowds queued from 10am to cross the latest addition to the Tyne’s bridges.