New accolade for landmark bridge

The award includes a plaque for the bridge

The landmark Gateshead Millennium Bridge has scooped another award.

The £22m "blinking eye" bridge, which was opened in 2001 between Newcastle and Gateshead Quaysides, has won a string of accolades.

The Outstanding Structure Award was made by the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering.

Previous recipients have been the Guggenheim Museum, in Bilbao, Spain, the Miho Museum Bridge, in Japan, and Bibliotheca Alexandrina, in Egypt.

The award consists of a diploma for the engineer, architect, contractor and the owner along with a plaque for the bridge.

Gateshead Council cabinet member for culture Councillor John McElroy said: "The Gateshead Millennium Bridge was a ground-breaking project and its popularity has exceeded even our expectations.

"We are delighted that we have won yet another prestigious award - it is for the people and regeneration of Gateshead that people from around the work have recognised what we have done."

The organisers said of the bridge: "The soaring arch provides an instant visual reference to the Tyne Bridge beyond, but also presents a slender profile against the skyline, interpreting and updating the structural and aesthetic order of its historic neighbour.

"Visually elegant both when static and in motion, the bridge offers a great spectacle during its opening operation, during the day and by night."