PEDESTRIAN & CYCLIST BRIDGE, HALE WHARF, TOTTENHAM HALE, LONDON
In 2006 British Waterways held an invited design and build competition for a new pedestrian bridge crossing Pymmes Brook and River Lea Navigation Channel. Six construction companies were invited to participate in the competition, with a difficult brief and contradictory stakeholder interests. We were invited to join the Balfour Beatty team. The other teams were lead by Costain, Jackson, Fitzpatrick, Breheny and Dean&Dayball. Our solution involved a self-anchored suspension bridge ( no records of a similar structure in existence ). The ‘V’ masts revealed the fact that there were two spans and two water courses when viewed from Ferry Lane, from where a row of trees obstructs the view of Pymmes Brook, and when viewed along the proposed Chestnut Avenue from where neither of the two water courses was visible. The lower mast was over the lesser span and the higher over the wider span. The main loads of the bridge were concentrated at the base of the ‘V’ masts. This type of a ‘cable net’ suspension structure has been inspired, among others, by the London Zoo Aviary and by the spritsail rigging of the Thames sailing barges, three of which were to be moored near the bridge.
- Bridge length :
- 60 metres
- Bridge Engineer :
- Buro Happold
