St Philips Footbridge
Bristol, UK


St Philips Footbridge
Bristol, UK
Client
Bristol City Council
Programme
2015 - 2019
Structural Engineer
Jacobs (CH2M)
Fabricator
SH Structures
A first step towards positive identity and regeneration
The historic Temple Meads railway station in Bristol has seen rail-related activities for almost 180 years, however much of the land is no longer in use. Changing Temple Island into a new neighbourhood is one of the city’s most important urban development projects .
The new St Philips footbridge spans the River Avon, improving access to Temple Island, which is surrounded by the watercourse, two railway lines and a highway. The 50m-span and 4m-wide footbridge resolves a complex crossing problem: the connection of two banks with a significant level difference.
The bridge is a forked steel beam with a ramp for disabled people and cyclists and a staircase on the pedestrian ‘desire line’. A holistic architectural, functional and structural approach results in a bridge that is compact and clearly legible for users while being architecturally distinctive.
The bridge is planned as a catalyst for urban regeneration, setting the new quality benchmark for the future development of the area.
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“St Philip’s Footbridge is a brilliant example of how aesthetic, structural and functional needs have been simultaneously met by thoughtful and painstaking design to create one of Bristol’s most beautiful bridges. To a setting which is rather a mish-mash, it brings a quiet, still point of modernist order. Ten out of ten”
Related news
St Philips Footbridge features in new Bristol book
07 June 2019