Sunderland’s £117.6 million Northern Spire bridge, designed by Roughan & O’Donovan (ROD) in a joint venture with Buro Happold, opened to traffic last week.
The 336m long cable-stay bridge is one of England’s biggest civil engineering projects in recent years. More than 2,000 people have worked on the project since construction began in 2015 - completing a million man hours of work on site.
Standing taller than London’s Big Ben, the bridge illustrates ROD’s flair and attention, not solely for the structural form, but also for the aesthetics of the structure. 
Comprises a 24m-wide steel and concrete composite deck
It comprises a 24m-wide steel and concrete composite deck, which includes a 2 x 150m cable supported span over the river. The cable-stayed span is supported by a 105m-high A-frame pylon of steel/concrete composite construction.
Having invested more than 25,000 man hours in delivering the preliminary and detailed design of the bridge, ROD’s design team, led by director Tony Dempsey, is justly proud of its achievement.
"It was a privilege to have been part of such a major project, particularly one that managed to capture the attention of the public in a way few other civil engineering projects do," said Dempsey. "The high level of trust and collaboration enjoyed between the client, Farrans Victor Buyck CJV construction team and the design joint venture has been central to its success."
Raising of the 1,550 tonne steel pylon centrepiece
The raising of the 1,550 tonne steel pylon centrepiece was one of the most challenging elements of the project, and marked the culmination of two years of design and planning and 12 months of fabrication. A highly complex process, it required stringent geometric control and monitoring procedures.
Not one critical trigger level was reached during the erection, which is testament to the joint venture's expertise in the design and interface co-ordination of complex permanent and temporary works on major bridge structures.
The bridge has attracted considerable media attention in the UK, with local and national media covering every major stage in its construction. It was recently presented with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) 200 Special Project Award at the organisation’s Robert Stephenson Awards, which recognise engineering excellence in northeast infrastructure projects.
