Hulme Arch Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Hulme Arch Bridge in Hulme
, Manchester
, England, supports Stretford Road as it passes over Princess Road, and is located at grid reference
. The construction of the bridge formed part of the regeneration of the Hulme district of Manchester, both by re-establishing the former route of Stretford Road (which had been cut into two halves by the construction of Princess Road in 1969) and by providing a local landmark
. The location was previously occupied by a footbridge
.
The bridge consists of a deck supported by cables from a single arch that spans the bridge diagonally. The design was selected in June 1995, with construction running between May 1996 and April 1997. It was opened on 10 May 1997 by Alex Ferguson
.
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 architect
s 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 bridge consists of a 50 metres (164 ft) bridge deck, consisting of three 17 by 17 m (55 by 55 ft) steel
and concrete
decking segments, covered with tarmac
. The deck is supported by twenty-two 51 mm diameter spiral steel cables originating from both sides of a 25 metres (82 ft) high arch
. The arch is made of six prefabricated trapezoid steel box sections, and spans the bridge diagonally. The bridge is illuminated at night.
The arch varies between 1.6 metres (5.2 ft) wide by 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) deep at the bases to 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide and 0.7 metres (2.3 ft) deep at the top. It is supported by a pair of 8.5 by 6.5 by 5.5 m (27.9 by 21.3 by 18 ft) concrete blocks, which bear most of the weight of the bridge. The deck is supported by piled abutment
s, which incorporate areas for bearing and expansion joint inspection and maintenance. The arch is kept in shape by a number of internal stiffeners and diaphragms
, with the top section filled with concrete. To minimise internal rust, the lower sections of the arch were coated with a vapour corrosion inhibitor, with portholes with removable covers inserted into the arch so that the inside can have additional coats applied in the future.
of Princess Road, and were craned into position over a weekend when Princess Road was closed. The decking was temporarily supported by trestle
s 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." In 1997 the bridge was shortlisted for the British Construction Civil Engineering Award. In 1998, the bridge received four awards: the RIBA Award for Architecture, a Structural Steel Design Awards Commendation, a Civic Trust Award Commendation and the Institute of Civil Engineers Merit Award.
Hulme
Hulme is an inner city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England. Located immediately south of Manchester city centre, it is an area with significant industrial heritage....
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England, supports Stretford Road as it passes over Princess Road, and is located at grid reference
British national grid reference system
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude....
. The construction of the bridge formed part of the regeneration of the Hulme district of Manchester, both by re-establishing the former route of Stretford Road (which had been cut into two halves by the construction of Princess Road in 1969) and by providing a local landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
. The location was previously occupied by a footbridge
Footbridge
A footbridge or pedestrian bridge is a bridge designed for pedestrians and in some cases cyclists, animal traffic and horse riders, rather than vehicular traffic. Footbridges complement the landscape and can be used decoratively to visually link two distinct areas or to signal a transaction...
.
The bridge consists of a deck supported by cables from a single arch that spans the bridge diagonally. The design was selected in June 1995, with construction running between May 1996 and April 1997. It was opened on 10 May 1997 by Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
.
History
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
Manchester City Council
Manchester City Council is the local government authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by...
. 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 architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
s Chris Wilkinson Architects, with the structural engineer
Structural engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants...
being Ove Arup & Partners
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
. The reference for the design of the bridge was Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
's Gateway Arch
Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Design
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
decking segments, covered with tarmac
Tarmac
Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
. The deck is supported by twenty-two 51 mm diameter spiral steel cables originating from both sides of a 25 metres (82 ft) high arch
Arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
. The arch is made of six prefabricated trapezoid steel box sections, and spans the bridge diagonally. The bridge is illuminated at night.
The arch varies between 1.6 metres (5.2 ft) wide by 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) deep at the bases to 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide and 0.7 metres (2.3 ft) deep at the top. It is supported by a pair of 8.5 by 6.5 by 5.5 m (27.9 by 21.3 by 18 ft) concrete blocks, which bear most of the weight of the bridge. The deck is supported by piled abutment
Abutment
An abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching...
s, which incorporate areas for bearing and expansion joint inspection and maintenance. The arch is kept in shape by a number of internal stiffeners and diaphragms
Diaphragm (structural system)
In structural engineering, a diaphragm is a structural system used to transfer lateral loads to shear walls or frames primarily through in-plane shear stress...
, with the top section filled with concrete. To minimise internal rust, the lower sections of the arch were coated with a vapour corrosion inhibitor, with portholes with removable covers inserted into the arch so that the inside can have additional coats applied in the future.
Construction
The three sections of decking were assembled on the broad central reservationCentral reservation
On divided roads, such as divided highways or freeways/motorways, the central reservation , median, parkway , median strip or central nature strip is the area which separates opposing lanes of traffic...
of Princess Road, and were craned into position over a weekend when Princess Road was closed. The decking was temporarily supported by trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
s 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
Tony Wilson
Anthony Howard Wilson, commonly known as Tony Wilson , was an English record label owner, radio presenter, TV show host, nightclub manager, impresario and journalist for Granada Television and the BBC....
. The ceremony was concluded by them being driven over the bridge in a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost refers both to a car model and to one specific car from that series.Originally named the "40/50 h.p." the chassis was originally produced at Royce's Manchester works, before moving to Derby in July 1908 and also, between 1921 and 1926, in Springfield, Massachusetts....
, 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." In 1997 the bridge was shortlisted for the British Construction Civil Engineering Award. In 1998, the bridge received four awards: the RIBA Award for Architecture, a Structural Steel Design Awards Commendation, a Civic Trust Award Commendation and the Institute of Civil Engineers Merit Award.