The bridge was dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II on, during her Golden Jubilee tour.
The barrier lifted at 2 pm to allow the first public crossing, and the first people to cross received a commemorative medal gift from the Council. It was opened to the public on 17 September 2001 to a crowd of thousands. The first tilt took place on 28 June 2001 to 36,000 onlookers. Gateshead Council originally announced that the bridge would be open in September 2000, but it was not completed until September the following year. In response, Gateshead Council decided upon the final name of 'Gateshead Millennium Bridge' in 1998, which caused an ongoing feud between the two councils. The original proposed name of 'Baltic Millennium Bridge' (in reference to the adjacent Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art on the Gateshead side) was objected to by Newcastle City Council. By this point, the name of the bridge was still undecided. The bridge, which is the world's first tilting bridge, ultimately cost £22 million, with funding from the Millennium Commission, the European Regional Development Fund, English Partnerships, East Gateshead Single Regeneration Budget, and Gateshead Council. WilkinsonEyre and Gifford and Partners claimed the prize in February 1997 with Gateshead Councillor Mick Henry remarking that the design was "something very special." īy July 1997, a final design was under preparation for submission to the Millennium Commission in order to secure funding. The advert for the competition was published in the New Civil Engineer magazine with the brief "We are looking for design teams who can create a stunning, but practical, river level crossing which fits this historic setting, opens for shipping and is good enough to win Millennium Commission funding." There were over 150 entries and Gateshead residents voted for their favourite out of a shortlist of six architectural teams. Although river-based traffic had decreased by the 21st century, the cities of Gateshead and Newcastle still intended to retain the image of the River Tyne as a working river. It would also facilitate a 1-mile (1.6 km) circular promenade around the Quayside. The bridge would form part of the regeneration on both sides of the River Tyne, providing a crossing between new commercial buildings and housing built in Newcastle and cultural and leisure developments in Gateshead. Conception Ī competition was held by Gateshead Council in 1996 to design a new bridge to link Gateshead to Newcastle, the first opening bridge to be built on the River Tyne in over 100 years. The construction of Gateshead Millennium Bridge provided a link between wider regeneration projects in Newcastle (left) and Gateshead (right).
In 1995, Gateshead Council devised plans to develop a new contemporary arts centre, the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, and the need for a footbridge to link the two cities became more apparent. This prompted regeneration activities in both Newcastle and Gateshead, beginning with the construction of Newcastle Law Courts on the riverbank. However, industry declined along the River Tyne following World War II and the quay deteriorated into the 1980s. As quay-based industries grew during the Industrial Revolution and Victorian era due to its accessible port, the area became more prosperous.
Gateshead Millennium Bridge is part of a long history of bridges built across the River Tyne, the earliest of which was constructed in the Middle Ages. The Millennium Bridge stands as the twentieth tallest structure in the city, and is shorter in stature than the neighbouring Tyne Bridge.
The bridge is sometimes called the 'Blinking Eye Bridge' or the 'Winking Eye Bridge' due to its shape and its tilting method. Opened for public use in 2001, the award-winning structure was conceived and designed by architectural practice WilkinsonEyre and structural engineering firm Gifford. It was the first tilting bridge ever to be constructed. The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne between Gateshead arts quarter on the south bank and Newcastle upon Tyne's Quayside area on the north bank.
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