Hunslett Moor Footbridge

This striking cable-stayed footbridge on the M621 Leeds Inner Ring Road project comprises a 103m long x 5m wide deck supported from a single A-frame tower by 14no. 65mm diameter spiral wound cables supplied by Bridon. A further 150m of approach ramps and stairs provide access to the East end of bridge. The handrail was a specific architectural feature of the bridge, and included a top rail formed from a Tata Steel Oval section 150 x 75 x 4mm. This produced a clean aesthetic detail that complemented the modern design of this footbridge.

A total of 259t of steel was used on this structure, including steel plates up to 60mm thick and 457mm diameter CHS tubes for the stringers on the main deck. The steel specified for the plates included both S275J2 and S355J2 steel grades to EN 10025-2^[1], and S355J2H to EN 10210-1^[2] was specified for the hollow sections.

The steelwork was fabricated during the latter part of 2007, ready for installation early in 2008. The bridge was erected during a series of night time road closures that coordinated with the intricate phasing of the road improvement works underneath. The largest individual component to be erected was the A-frame tower at just over 39m tall, and this was lifted into place using a 200t capacity mobile crane.

Structural Engineer	Mouchel Parkman
Steelwork Contractor	Nusteel Structures Ltd.
Main Contractor	Alfred McAlpine
Client	Leeds City Council