Engineering Design Consultants

Media City Swing Bridge

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Atkins, formerly Bennett Associates, working with structural engineer Gifford and architect Wilkinson Eyre collaborated to design this unique structure in Salford Quays. The design brief was to provide a landmark structure that would be a destination in its own right and provide access to the Media City Development. The bridge is 83m long in total and slews through 71 degrees to provide access for shipping.

Atkins produced exemplar designs and detailed specifications for the mechanical, electrical and hydraulic elements of this distinctive swing bridge. Technical support was the provided to the client through the tender evaluations, design, manufacture, installation and commissioning periods. Work on the project included:

• Exemplar design of mechanical, electrical and hydraulic elements.
• Design of nose and tail locks to secure the bridge in the closed position
• Design of novel nose jacking system to minimise loads on the bridge structure as the nose locks retract.
• Evaluation of tender packages for construction phase.
• Evaluated detail design of contractor’s engineer and provided support during this phase.

Pre Tender

Exemplar design of:

• Nose and tail bolts
• Bridge bearing support and rotation mechanism
• Preparation of technical specifications for mechanical, electrical and hydraulic systems

Tender Evaluations

Technical evaluations of:

• Technical content
• Alternative solutions
• Tenders capability

Post Contract

• Participation in progress meeting
• Review of contractors documents
• Purchase specifications
• Calculations
• Drawings
• Test and commissioning schedules
• Manufacturing support
• Commissioning support on site

Winner of the Large Projects category of the North West Civil Engineering Awards organised by the Institution of Civil Engineers - Feb 2012
ICE North West regional Director Alan Butler said the bridge was iconic, functional and symbolic. "Its clean structural lines ensure it stands out as a visual landmark, while its masts and cables recall the historic use of these docks, which helped create so much manufacturing and trading wealth for our region," he said.

Winner of the Pedestrian Bridges category at the 2011 Institute of Structural Engineers’ Structural Awards
The Media City Swing Bridge has won the award in the Pedestrian Bridges category at the Institute of Structural Engineers' annual Structural Awards ceremony. The judges said of the winning bridge: "A graceful and well engineered bridge that displays structural flair in the concept and the details; a delightful testament to the art of structural engineering."

Established in 1968, The Structural Awards are the industry’s most prestigious awards ceremony which celebrates excellence in structural engineering.