The bridge was developed as part of the Tyne and Wear Metro system, for which it was purpose-built. It was designed by W. A. Fairhurst & Partners, and constructed by Cementation Construction Ltd. and the Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company at a cost of £4.9 million.[1] The two sections of the bridge were built simultaneously from each bank and eventually met in the centre in August 1978.[3] It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 6 November 1981, nine days before regular Metro service began.[1] It is similar to Ballachulish Bridge on the A82 which opened in 1975, which was also built by the Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company.
It was one of two major bridges built specifically for the Tyne and Wear Metro, the other being the Byker Viaduct crossing the Ouseburn valley.[4]
Nocturne artworkedit
In 2006, Nexus, operators of the Metro, commissioned artist Nayan Kulkarni to install a huge artwork on the bridge. The artwork, Nocturne, sees the bridge painted two distinct tones of blue, while at night, 140 Lumiflood 36 LED lighting units[5] create an ever-changing pattern of colours based on photographs submitted by members of the public.[5]
Nocturne was completed and opened on 26 April 2007[6] and means that all five main bridges across the Tyne between Gateshead and Newcastle have unique lighting schemes. However, as of 2021 the lighting system is not operational, with Nexus citing operational costs.
Referencesedit
^ abcdef. Structural Images of the North East (SINE). Newcastle University. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
^"Construction photograph of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne 1977". Newcastle City Council. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
^"Nocturne – Britain's biggest new artwork is born" (Press release). Nexus. 26 April 2007. from the original on 26 December 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2007.
queen, elizabeth, bridge, river, tyne, this, article, about, metro, rail, bridge, newcastle, upon, tyne, other, bridges, named, after, queen, elizabeth, queen, elizabeth, bridge, disambiguation, queen, elizabeth, bridge, carries, tyne, wear, metro, between, ne. This article is about the metro rail bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne For other bridges named after Queen Elizabeth see Queen Elizabeth Bridge disambiguation The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge carries the Tyne and Wear Metro between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead over the River Tyne in North East England The line is in tunnels on either side of the river and only emerges into open air to cross the bridge Queen Elizabeth II Metro BridgeThe Queen Elizabeth II Metro Bridge in 2013Coordinates54 57 52 N 1 36 50 W 54 9645 N 1 6139 W 54 9645 1 6139OS grid referenceNZ247634CarriesTyne and Wear MetroCrossesRiver TyneLocaleTynesideOfficial nameQueen Elizabeth II BridgeOwnerNexusMaintained byNexus RailCharacteristicsDesignSteel truss construction with fabricated box chords 1 Total length352 7 m 1 157 ft 1 Width10 31 m 33 8 ft Longest span164 7 m 540 ft Clearance below25 m 82 ft Rail characteristicsNo of tracks2Track gauge1 435 mm 4 ft 8 1 2 in Electrified1500 V DCHistoryDesignerW A Fairhurst amp PartnersConstructed byCementation Construction LtdCleveland Bridge amp Engineering CompanyConstruction start1976 1 Construction endAugust 1978 2 Opened15 November 1981 1981 11 15 1 Inaugurated6 November 1981by Queen Elizabeth IILocationvteRailways between Newcastle and GatesheadLegendTyne and Wear Metroto Monument East Coast Main Lineto MorpethCentral StationTyne Valley Lineto Scotswood NewcastleKing Edward VII Bridge High Level BridgeRiver TyneQEII Metro BridgeGatesheadTyne Valley Lineto MetroCentre Gateshead InterchangeEast Coast Main Lineto Durham Durham Coast Lineto HeworthTyne and Wear Metroto Gateshead Stadium Contents 1 History 2 Nocturne artwork 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External linksHistory edit nbsp The bridge under construction in 1978The bridge was developed as part of the Tyne and Wear Metro system for which it was purpose built It was designed by W A Fairhurst amp Partners and constructed by Cementation Construction Ltd and the Cleveland Bridge amp Engineering Company at a cost of 4 9 million 1 The two sections of the bridge were built simultaneously from each bank and eventually met in the centre in August 1978 3 It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 6 November 1981 nine days before regular Metro service began 1 It is similar to Ballachulish Bridge on the A82 which opened in 1975 which was also built by the Cleveland Bridge amp Engineering Company It was one of two major bridges built specifically for the Tyne and Wear Metro the other being the Byker Viaduct crossing the Ouseburn valley 4 Nocturne artwork editIn 2006 Nexus operators of the Metro commissioned artist Nayan Kulkarni to install a huge artwork on the bridge The artwork Nocturne sees the bridge painted two distinct tones of blue while at night 140 Lumiflood 36 LED lighting units 5 create an ever changing pattern of colours based on photographs submitted by members of the public 5 Nocturne was completed and opened on 26 April 2007 6 and means that all five main bridges across the Tyne between Gateshead and Newcastle have unique lighting schemes However as of 2021 the lighting system is not operational with Nexus citing operational costs References edit a b c d e f Structure Details Queen Elizabeth II Bridge Structural Images of the North East SINE Newcastle University Archived from the original on 15 May 2011 Retrieved 18 June 2007 Construction photograph of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge Newcastle upon Tyne 1977 Newcastle City Council Retrieved 18 June 2007 Building Bridges Tyne amp Wear Archives amp Museums Archived from the original on 13 September 2014 Retrieved 12 September 2014 Meet Your Metro 1978 information booklet produced by Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive a b Nocturne Lighting Launched Press release Lumivision Architectural Lighting Retrieved 27 May 2007 Nocturne Britain s biggest new artwork is born Press release Nexus 26 April 2007 Archived from the original on 26 December 2007 Retrieved 27 April 2007 Further reading editPevsner Nikolaus Richmond Ian Grundy John McCombie Grace Ryder Pete Welfare Humphrey 2001 First published 1957 The Buildings of England Northumberland 2nd ed London Penguin Books p 460 ISBN 978 0140710151 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Queen Elizabeth II Metro Bridge Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at Structurae Next bridge upstream River Tyne Next bridge downstreamKing Edward VII BridgeEast Coast Main Line Queen Elizabeth II BridgeGrid reference NZ248634 High Level Bridge B1307 and Durham Coast Line Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Queen Elizabeth II Bridge River Tyne amp oldid 1185261068, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
