Cambridge Riverside Footbridge

(Image courtesy of Tata Steel)

This unusual and striking footbridge using 200t of S355J2 steel to EN 10025-2 spans the River Cam and adjacent flood plain. It connects the two communities of Riverside and Chesterton to provide a vital link for cyclists. This iconic design was selected through a public competition in 2004. The bridge and approach ramps are some 200m in length and designed with no sharp turns or steep gradients so it is fully accessible to all.

The geometry of the bridge is particularly complex with a double curved and cantilevered steel deck. The main span over the river is supported by an inclined steel tubular arch, which rises up between separate decks for cyclists and pedestrians.

The main bridge span was fully assembled and site welded in an area on the North Bank of the river. A 1000t capacity crawler crane was then assembled on the site and used to pick up the bridge as a complete unit and place it in position during a short river closure.

Architect	Ramboll Whitbybird
Structural engineer	Ramboll Whitbybird
Steelwork contractor	Watson Steel Structures Ltd. (now Severfield (UK) Ltd)
Main contractor	Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering
Client	Cambridgeshire County Council