The Millennium footbridge spans the river Lune at Lancaster. Designed by Whitby Bird & Partners and built by Henry Boot, it was opened belatedly in February 2001 to commemorate the Millennium of 2000. At a cost of £1.8m, it provided a much needed pedestrian and cycle route into the city centre. It crosses the river at a site previously occupied by both a Roman and subsequently a Medieval bridge.
The bridge is a steel cable-stayed footbridge. The main span of the bridge is 64m, with a total structural length of 140m. The two 40m high tubular steel masts are designed to reflect Lancaster's history as an important maritime port by representing an image of masts of sailing ships docked at the quayside. The curved deck and gangway actually compromise three legs in the shape of a Y, connecting the North bank to both an old Victorian viaduct and the historical quay on the South bank.
The bridge forms part of the National Cycle Network (route 6) which runs from Preston to Morecambe. The bridge is the centre of the River Lune Millennium Park which stretches along the banks of the river Lune for some 15km, comprising linked footpaths and cycleways and decorated with unusual and thought provoking artworks and information points.
The cache is a magnetic nano. You do not need to cross any railings to access the cache but please use stealth as this is an extremely busy location. Please replace exactly as found, and try not to drop it! Happy hunting.
Related interesting websites:-.
http://www.vrlancaster.co.uk/lancaster-virtual-tour/source/millennium-bridge2.html
http://www.lunemillenniumbridge.info
http://www.lusas.com/case/bridge/lancaster.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lune_Millennium_Bridge
