Saint Alkmund's Way Footbridge is a replacement cycle and footbridge in

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

, England over the A601 (St Alkmund's Way). The 2007 design includes sculptures of silk bobbins at its entrance and exit that are inspired by the nearby Silk Mill museum.

Description

In 2007

Derby City Council Derby City Council is the local government unitary authority for Derby, a city in the East Midlands region of England. It comprises 51 councillors, three for each of the 17 electoral wards of Derby. Currently there is no overall control of the co ...

demolished and rebuilt the footbridge over St Alkmund's Way to link the city centre with St Mary's Church. It is one of Derby's most-seen bridges and the council worked with Public Artist Denis O'conner and T4 sustainability to design more aesthetically pleasing solution, viewed by an estimated 1,500 pedestrian and 70,000 motorists every day. Funding came from

, the Department for Transport and the Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership. The final cost was £1.3 million, and the council's contribution was part of a £2 million overspend on highways in 2007. The bridge design was inspired by the traditional silk route through the city and has given inspiration to the Cathedral Green Footbridge, with its needle-shaped mast,Prime Minister's Award
, 2009, accessed January 2011 as they both draw inspiration from the

Silk Mill A silk mill is a factory that makes silk for garments using a process called silk throwing. Traditionally, silk mills were concentrated in Japan, England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Italy and Switzerland. The silk throwing process Silk is a natur ...

and use its heritage as inspiration. Derby Councillor Chris Wynn, cabinet member for planning and highways, said "The design with the bobbins and billowing silk idea will tie in well with the Silk Mill and I think this will be very exciting when it comes to fruition."Derby Evening Telegraph, 7 April 2007 Saint Alkmunds Way Footbridge Geograph-708617-by-Jerry-Evans

Saint Alkmunds Way Footbridge Geograph-708617-by-Jerry-Evans

The bridge took fourteen weeks to construct, is wider than its predecessor and designed to take cycles and pedestrians. Although a shortage of steel meant that some of the design features and the lighting were not installed when it was nominally complete in October 2007.

References

{{reflist Bridges completed in 2007 Bridges in Derby Pedestrian bridges in England