Northern Spire is a landmark new bridge dominating Sunderland’s skyline. It opened to the public in August 2018.
The bridge is cable-stayed with a 105m A-frame pylon weighing 1,600 tonnes, which is the equivalent weight of 125 Dublin buses. The pylon was transported by sea and river from Belgium to site, before being rotated into its final position in a two-day operation using an innovative hinge mechanism designed for a force in excess of 30,000kN.
The 330m deck was constructed adjacent to the bridge site and then launched across the river through the pylon legs.
The £117m bridge was constructed by Irish contractor Farrans Construction in joint venture with Victor Buyck Steel Construction. The design was undertaken by Irish design consultant Roughan & O’Donovan in joint venture with Buro Happold Engineering.
Roughan & O’Donovan was responsible for the design of the pylon in its permanent and temporary states, including aerodynamic stability and geometric control.
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