Which British bridge, opened in 2001, crosses the Tyne at Gateshead and tilts to let ships pass?

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is the British bridge opened in 2001 that crosses the Tyne at Gateshead and tilts to let ships pass.

This pedestrian and cyclist crossing links Gateshead’s Quayside with Newcastle upon Tyne. Rather than lifting a roadway vertically, it rotates its deck and supporting arch together around hinges near the riverbanks. The movement resembles a giant eyelid closing, which led to the nickname “Blinking Eye Bridge.”

The bridge was designed by WilkinsonEyre and engineering firm Gifford. It opened to the public in September 2001 and received the 2002 Stirling Prize for architecture. Its unusual operating mechanism allows vessels to travel beneath the crossing.

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is distinct from London’s Millennium Bridge, which is a suspension footbridge over the Thames. Both opened around the turn of the millennium, but their structures and locations are entirely different.