Tintagel Castle footbridge installed with innovative cable crane

ABUK riggers installing Tintagel Castle’s new footbridge

Contractor American Bridge UK (ABUK) is constructing an innovative 70m steel footbridge linking the mainland with the ruins of the 13th century Cornish castle.

A total of 12 steel sections, each made from up to 4.5t of steel which were delivered to Tintagel village fully fabricated, will be installed by cable crane – normally used in the Swiss Alps – over the coming weeks ahead of the castle’s reopening this summer.

The bridge was delivered to Tintagel village in 12 sections

Designed by Ney & Partners and William Matthews Associates Architectural Practice, each of the new footbridge’s steel sections have five key elements: the lower chord, upper chord, deck bracing, Telford bracing and finger joints.

Production began offsite in the autumn, and the sections forming the mainland half of the bridge have arrived in Tintagel to be installed this week.

A visualisation of what the completed bridge will look like. © MRC/Emily Whitfield-Wicks and Ney & Partners

The bridge is made from two cantilevers, which reach out and almost touch in the middle. It will be installed without scaffolding or free-standing supports. Instead, an unusual cable crane has been constructed for the task. Using technology pioneered in the Swiss Alps, the cable crane has already been used to deliver materials to the site, put in place the rock anchors and build the foundations for the bridge. Now it is being called into action to drop each of the pre-fabricated sections of the bridge into place.

Georgia Butters, English Heritage’s head of historic properties in Cornwall, said: “This is the moment we’ve all been looking forward to. Preparation work for the bridge began in the autumn, with the installation of the rock anchors and foundations, but this is when we can start to see all that work really coming together. Following the arrival of the first pieces this week, we will quickly see the bridge take shape. It will be a spectacular new addition to the site and will hugely improve the experience and access for our visitors.”

Tintagel’s divided landmasses were once united by a narrow strip of land. The castle, which now sits on an island, can currently only be reached via a challenging steep staircase, but the new footbridge will follow the path of the original land bridge.