Gateshead Millennium Bridge lighting

The task of lighting Gateshead Millennium Bridge fell to Jonathan Speirs and Associates (JSA).

They created a complex design to fully illuminate the bridge without causing light pollution.

The bridge's lighting design breaks down into several elements:

• arch
• pedestrian walkway, cycle decks and balustrade
• underside of the deck
• opening and closing
• lighting

The bridge is not lit during tilts, so as not to distract ships passing underneath.

The arch is lit with a series of high-powered lights which change colour to add to the design. In the week it is lit with a crystal white light and at weekends it changes to a spectrum of colours.

The pedestrian walkway, cycle decks and balustrade are illuminated with a string of white LEDs, each drawing just three watts of electricity.

Lighting on the underside of the deck causes an almost mirror-like appearance on the surface of the slow moving River Tyne.

Finally, in order to alert pedestrians and cyclists to the bridge's opening and closing, custom-designed green and red LEDs are used. The green LEDs are embedded in the ground in the shape of a "go" arrow, whilst the red LEDs feed into a no-entry symbol.

A synchronised siren also sounds to alert cyclists and pedestrians that the bridge is about to tilt.

The bridge is lit from dusk, the exact time varies throughout the year but lights on the bridge will come on at the same time as street lights.