Stretford Road was divided into two halves in 1969 by the construction of Princess Road. A footbridge was subsequently constructed, crossing Princess Road at the same place as the road previously ran. As part of the regeneration of the Hulme district, it was decided to construct a new bridge to rejoin the two sections of the road, and also to provide a local landmark.
The design of the bridge was selected via a two-staged, closed design competition, commissioned by Hulme Regeneration Ltd and Manchester City Council. The first stage of the competition was held in March 1995, and had six entries. The winning design was selected in June 1995, and was from architects Chris Wilkinson Architects, with the structural engineer being Ove Arup & Partners.The reference for the design of the bridge was Eero Saarinen's Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
The three sections of decking were assembled on the broad central reservation of Princess Road, and were craned into position over a weekend when Princess Road was closed. The decking was temporarily supported by trestles until the arch was ready. The six sections of the arch were welded together on site into two halves before being lifted into position during a second weekend. The cables were connected on third weekend. The bridge was formally opened on 10 May 1997 by Alex Ferguson in a ceremony including the Lord Mayor of Manchester and Tony Wilson. The ceremony was concluded by them being driven over the bridge in a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, and was followed by a street festival.
The bridge has been described by the structural engineers as "a perfect example of how imaginative design combined with leading-edge engineering technology can be used to create a landmark structure which captures the public's imagination."
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Hulme Life
The design of the bridge was selected via a two-staged, closed design competition, commissioned by Hulme Regeneration Ltd and Manchester City Council. The first stage of the competition was held in March 1995, and had six entries. The winning design was selected in June 1995, and was from architects Chris Wilkinson Architects, with the structural engineer being Ove Arup & Partners.The reference for the design of the bridge was Eero Saarinen's Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
The three sections of decking were assembled on the broad central reservation of Princess Road, and were craned into position over a weekend when Princess Road was closed. The decking was temporarily supported by trestles until the arch was ready. The six sections of the arch were welded together on site into two halves before being lifted into position during a second weekend. The cables were connected on third weekend. The bridge was formally opened on 10 May 1997 by Alex Ferguson in a ceremony including the Lord Mayor of Manchester and Tony Wilson. The ceremony was concluded by them being driven over the bridge in a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, and was followed by a street festival.
The bridge has been described by the structural engineers as "a perfect example of how imaginative design combined with leading-edge engineering technology can be used to create a landmark structure which captures the public's imagination."
Care of Wikipedia
Hulme Life
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