Millennium Bridge

The river front has seen its fair share of industry over the years, and after lying ghostly and dormant in the 80s and 90s (thanks, Thatcher) the noughties have seen it undergo a major development makeover.
The Millenium Bridge is one of a number of new bridges and walkways to be erected in the new millenium, hence it’s name. Its sheet steel exterior is evident as it feels quite light and springy underfoot, but is wonderfully engineered as its skeleton is solid and unwavering in high winds.
As the ladies have pointed out, this stretch of the waterfront makes for an alluring walk these days, with its well maintained boardwalks being occupied often by cyclists, tourists and slushy couples strolling into the sunset (daw). Although I am concentrating on the aesthetics this bridge has become more functional with the emergence of the BBC and STV on the other side of the river, not to mention the popular destination of the Science Centre. It has, then, become pivitol to human traffic in this area, but its sturdy engineering sees that it copes well enough for all weathers.

Glasgow is all about its mechanic engineering. Luckily, we have some of the best engineers in the world. Without them, and the support from the government, we wouldn’t have awesome developments like this.
Alright, it does sound like high praise for a bridge whose main purpose is to transport you across one of the mankiest rivers in Britain, but the sentiment remains. It was completed in 2002, along with the Glasgow Science Centre. The Millennium Bridge is the quickest pedestrian route to get to and from the Science Centre on the south bank and the SECC and Clyde Auditorium on the North.
It is most aesthetically pleasing, whether you’re into bridges or not. It also opens in the middle to allow vessels to pass, much like London’s Tower Bridge… just very slightly less big and fancy.

The Millennium Bridge was completed in 2002 as part of the Glasgow Science Centre development project. This is a beautiful bridge and makes an excellent edition to a walk down by the Clyde. A friend and I recently walked from Byers Road to Glasgow Green on a cold, crisp Autumn afternoon and I really enjoyed this section of the walk. The footbridge is made of four fixed spans with two lifting spans over the navigational channel of the river.
The bridge deck, which forms the walkway, is fabricated from sheet steel. To allow passage for larger vessels, hydraulic lifting cylinders raise the two lifting spans. In layman’s terms this means that the bride can open at the centre to allow larger vessels to get past. Very cool. Funding for the project came from Millennium Commission and just incase you are really into engineering, the team were Rotherham-​based M.G. Bennett Associates Ltd.