An elegant pedestrian bridge and attractive public space to linger: the construction of Murdoch’s Connection Bridge in Hull has created both at once.
The citizens of the English port city of Kingston Upon Hull (Hull for short) have been able to enjoy an iconic new structure in more ways than one since March 2021. Murdoch’s Connection Bridge, as it is called, is not just an extremely elegant overpass for pedestrians and cyclists over the busy A63, which previously cut off the marina from the rest of the city center. The project has also created public squares on both sides of the bridge with numerous attractive paths and places to linger. This new gateway to the old town was designed by Arup and Matter Architects.
In the ensemble of bridge and space, the former is clearly the eye-catcher. The 40-meter-long filigree roadway is supported by a white arched shell construction made of steel, which at the same time arches up in a sweeping aviatic manner as a canopy and projects above the roadway. The latter extends it into viewing platforms at its ends, while stairs and bicycle ramps (in opposite directions) branch off to the side just in front of it.
Murdoch’s Connection Bridge, with its £22 million construction cost, is part of a larger urban design project to improve the highway environment. Other phases include a new dry dock for the lightship “Spurn”, which was previously on display at the presently closed Hull Maritime Museum and is currently being restored. In addition, an accessible floating dock and a café pavilion are to be built.
