盖茨黑德千僖桥.doc

The bridge was transported section by section from Watson Steel, Bolton (where it was fabricated) to the AMEC works in Wallsend, Newcastle. It was here that AMEC welded the sections together and painted the bridge with a weather resistant paint ready for its use on the River Tyne. The finished bridge was transported six miles up the river to its final position in Gateshead in November 2000. It was carried using Europes largest floating crane - Asian Hercules II. At certain points the bridge was wider than the river, and had to be turned sideways to squeeze its way through. It was finally lowered into position with just 2mm to spare. Asian Hercules II has a deck the size of a football pitch. The main lifting legs project over 350 ft tall - some 60 ft higher than Big Ben and almost as tall as the London Eye Millennium Wheel. The 10,560-ton barge is over 250 ft long and over 100 ft wide. It has enough power to lift a weight equal to over 4,000 cars. However, it has a very small crew - only 12 people - who all live onboard. The living quarters are outfitted like a modern hotel with a full time chef and rooms for 20 people. On 28 June 2001 the bridge underwent its first tilt. 36,000 people from all over the UK lined the banks of the River Tyne to watch. Asian Hercules II - Specifications Length: 91.00 metres Breadth moulded: 43.00 metres Depth moulded: 8.50 metres Max/Min draft: 5.00 /2.40 metres Gross tonnage: 10,560 tons Net tonnage: 3,168 tons Displacement: 16,500 tons (even keel) Speed: 7 knots The Gateshead Millennium Bridge celebrates its tenth anniversary this year on Saturday 17 September - and a host of activities are being organised to help you to join us in celebrating its anniversary. We will be updating this page regularly – so bookmark it now! Julien Dupont vs The Gateshead Millennium Bridge Bridge lights up the sky Do you share your birthday with the bridge? Daily tilts Bridge Tales Back To Top Julien Dupont vs The Gateshead Millennium Bridge On Tuesd