Gateshead Millennium Bridge: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The Gateshead Millenium Bridge spans the River Tyne in England between Gateshead on the south bank, and Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank.

One of the world's largest floating cranes lifted it into place in one piece on 20 November 2000. The bridge opened to the public on 17 September 2001.

Already acclaimed worldwide for its physical and aesthetic beauty, it has fast become a significant tourist attraction in its own right.

Huge hydraulic rams, one on each side, tilt the bridge back on special pivots to allow small ships and boats to pass underneath. Its appearance during this manoeuvre has led to it being nicknamed the Blinking Eye Bridge.

The aesthetic of the bridge is sadly marred by piers erected along the watercourse, to guide shipping beneath the highest point of the bridge's span.