The footbridge, a pedestrian “bascule” bridge, supplements the existing pedestrian links in the area and allows for the passage of small craft when closed and for larger vessels when open.
A bascule bridge, is a moveable bridge with an upward swing which provides clearance for boat traffic. Waterways in Canary Wharf are in constant use by pleasure craft and other shipping traffic.
Bascule bridges are the most common type of movable bridge in existence because they open quickly and require relatively little energy to operate.
The Bellmouth Passage bridge links Canada Square, renowned for housing the UK’s tallest building, the HSBC Tower, with Churchill Place, a retail development on the opposite bank of the Thames.
The bridge which spans 20 metres across the Thames opened at Christmas.
Atkins, the UK's largest engineering and design consultancy acted as Structural Engineers on the project and appointed PAD Contracts Ltd, an architectural metalworking specialist company based in North London as sub-contractors. PAD were responsible for sourcing and installing all the materials used for the bridge.
The design for the decking was specified as extruded aluminium planks, which were sized to carry the required loads.
Aluminium was an ideal material of choice as it is resistant to corrosion, easy to fabricate and install as well as offering excellent aesthetics.
The lighter weight decking, enabled the use of lower spec powered hydraulics to raise and lower the bridge, leading to reduced energy usage and a more cost effective and environmentally friendly solution.
Colin Ayres of PAD Contracts, said, “We approached Hydro originally to provide the long length profiles, however due to their expertise in aluminium fabrication we asked them to provide the fabrication as well as the aluminium extrusions.
Mark Hibble, Area Sales Manager, Hydro added “After the extrusion process, the decking panels were cross serrated in house, to give a sure grip underfoot and ensure an anti-slip surface.”
“Panels were mitre cut to length and then CNC machined according to deck and platform requirements. Some of the machined panels were also stiffened by the addition of welded components.”
A feature was made of the West landing platform - a large aluminium decked area on which every plank length and angle of cut was unique.
The platform provides an aesthetic feature as well as hiding the hydraulics and machinery required to open and close the bridge.
