St Paul's Footbridge, Ebbw Vale, Wales—landmark structure

The paper outlines the design processes involved in the creation of St Paul's Footbridge, a new landmark footbridge at Ebbw Vale, South Wales. The provision of a landmark footbridge forms part of the council's broader strategy to stimulate recovery and regeneration of this area through delivery of quality urban infrastructure design. Regular effective communication throughout the team, drawing on the creative flair of an artist and practical expertise of contractor and fabricator, resulted in a striking structure being delivered for the Ebbw Valley. The team and framework set up to deliver the footbridge and the constraints affecting the design and construction of the bridge are described. The parameters that affected the design of the deck and its foundations together with the fabrication/erection issues that were encountered are also presented. Finally, some factors to be considered when designing infrastructure projects for disabled access are reported.