A ‘cinematic experience’ on A27 Chichester bridge

The ‘Whyke Horizon’ footbridge was officially opened over the A27 near Chichester last week (November 6), with a ceremony attended by children from Chichester Free School, community leaders and the Highways England project team who designed and built the bridge.

The ribbon was cut by the Mayor of Chichester, Councillor Peter Budge.

The new name for the bridge was suggested by Alan Carn, co-chairman of Whyke Residents Association.

Cllr Budge said: “It has been a great honour to open the new Whyke Horizon bridge and I would like to thank Highways England and Balfour Beatty Mott MacDonald for all their hard work and effort.

“The bypass has needed a bridge for a long time and it is so good to see such an impressive and beautifully designed structure which will really benefit the community.”

The 41 tonne, 41 metre-long bridge was installed overnight on June 22 and opened to the public on August 24.

A Highways England spokesman described the bridge as ‘providing a sense of discovery and delight’ and a ‘fun and playful cinematic experience’ with its ‘human scaled skeletal interior’.

“The exterior of the bridge is deliberately understated, with a subtle fluid form of curved, faceted surfaces providing a simple and elegant response to its context,” said Highways England.

“To contrast this, the interior is intended to be fun and playful.

“Regularly spaced transverse ribs, required to stiffen the thru-trough, constantly change in profile across the span.

“This creates a cinematic experience as users walk or cycle across the bridge.

“Painting the interior an unexpectedly bright colour adds to this effect.

“Through detailing and material selection, the sculpturally cloaked exterior gives way to a human scaled skeletal interior, providing a sense of discovery and delight.

“The gradually changing structural depth is an expression of honesty and efficiency, providing greatest depth at midspan where it is needed for bending in the simply supported span.

“This characteristic also provides a sense of enclosure to bridge users as they pass over the busy highway before opening up to the desired views at the ends.”

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