The Rolling Bridge

The Rolling Bridge is a type of curling moveable bridge completed in 2004 as part of the Grand Union Canal office and retail development project at Paddington Basin, London.

For the Victorian-era retractable bridge, see Guthrie rolling bridge. For an example of the rolling bascule bridge, see Pegasus Bridge.

The Rolling Bridge
Half curled
Coordinates51.518390°N 0.174735°W / 51.518390; -0.174735
CarriesPedestrians
Characteristics
DesignTruss bridge
MaterialTriangular steel segments, hydraulic actuators, lightweight deck
Total length12 metres (39 ft)
History
DesignerThomas Heatherwick Studio
Engineering design bySKM Anthony Hunts and Packman Lucas
Constructed byLittlehampton Welding Ltd
Construction end2005
Construction cost£500,000
Location
References
[1]

Design

The Rolling Bridge was conceived by Thomas Heatherwick. It consists of eight triangular sections hinged at the walkway level and connected above by two-part links that can be collapsed towards the deck by hydraulic cylinders mounted vertically between the sections. When extended, it resembles a conventional steel and timber footbridge, and is 12 metres long. To allow the passage of boats, the hydraulic pistons are activated and the bridge curls up until its two ends join, to form an octagonal shape measuring one half of the waterway's width at that point.

The bridge won the British Structural Steel Design Award.[1]

"Rolling" as a name and as a type

Traditional use of the term "rolling bridge" dates from at least the Victorian era, and is used to describe a type of retractable drawbridge used to span a ditch or moat surrounding a fortification. That type of bridge is not hinged, and remains horizontal when it is rolled inside the gates of a fort. Modern versions are called retractable bridges or thrust bridges. One particular version of the rolling bridge type was known as the Guthrie rolling bridge, examples of which may still be seen at Fort Nelson, Portsmouth. Certain types of bascule bridges roll on an arc; an example is the Pegasus Bridge.

Operation

The bridge is scheduled to unfold across the canal every Wednesday and Friday at noon and every Saturday at 2pm,[2]

See also

References
  1. "37th Structural Steel Design Award Winners". Corus. 23 June 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  2. "Paddington Basin's Bridges in action". Paddington. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
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