The new footbridge, designed by Addison Conservation and Design sits over the River Tweed. Guaranteed to be highly popular with cyclists and walkers alike, the bridge extends the Sustrans National Cycle Network between the towns of Peebles and Innerleithen, providing splendid views of the river and forested hills on either side of the valley.
The bridge which is designed for pedestrians and horseriders, cleverly combines timber, galvanized steel and a series of unique post tensioned Macalloy stabilisers which were designed to run parallel to the timber deck.
The bridge deck consists of 2 m wide by 100 mm thick timber planks, selected as a balance between weight and stability. The deck is supported by a fully galvanized steel structure to provide long term durability, with four overpainted raking pylons. Its main span is 55 m long at a height of 5.5 m above the river. The side (anchor) spans are 18 m each.
The reinforced concrete footings are anchored into the dense gravel substrate using driven-ground anchors. The anchors support the backstays and two post-tensioned Macalloy stabilisers which run longitudinally parallel to the deck and work with the Macalloy plan-bracing and stays to give lateral sway resistance and an ability to deal with flood driven river debris.
The galvanized Macalloy stabilisers are unique features which were also designed to assist stability during construction by being strung over first and tensioned. They also allowed the stays to be pretensioned ahead of the completion of the deck and carry the horizontal components of the stay forces, thus allowing the deck structure to expand and contract without affecting the stiffness of the supports.
The handrails are 1.4 m high to accommodate cyclists and horses. With more than 2,000 miles of cycleway in Scotland, the new bridge has helped to expand the network, providing huge benefit for visitors and communities along the route.
