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Children design swing bridge replacements
LOCAL youngsters have been designing possible replacements for Whitby's swing bridge.
To celebrate the centenary of the bridge, the Rotary Club of Whitby and District invited local schools and colleges to submit designs for a new structure to link the east and west sides of town.
Five schools and colleges participated and 27 design sketches and drawings and one model were submitted.
All are displayed in the Whitby Tourist Information Centre.
Rotary club chairman Fred Payne said: “Each group tackled the project in its own way. Fylingdales CE School developed imaginative ways of crossing the harbour, while Whitby Community College pursued a more technical design approach and Stakesby CE School produced a wide variety of different approaches.
“East Whitby CP School concentrated on the artistic design and decoration of a bridge with the same structural design and Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre CE School specialised in colourful sketches with lots of detail.
“On our present bridge, congestion frequently causes a hazard when pedestrians and vehicles meet on the roadway.
“Many of the designs aim to eliminate this hazard by keeping pedestrians and vehicles separate, which is an excellent idea.
“The one model was built by Fylingdales CE School. This bridge is ‘opened’ by raising the central bridge section using ropes suspended from towers on each side.
“The design includes a glass under water walkway for pedestrians which can be used when the bridge is opened, as well as a rope cable way for those wishing to cross in a more adventurous way.
“There are wind turbines on the top of each tower which provide the power to operate the bridge.
“The towers and bridge section use a steel lattice construction, which is very similar to that used with modern traffic signs.
“However, the precise role of the two giant teddy bears hanging from each tower is not explained and remains something of a mystery.
“Overall, there are lots of good ideas and the council engineers now have plenty of design options should they decide the present bridge has come to the end of its useful life and a replacement is required.”
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Weather for Whitby
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
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Temperature: 11 C to 18 C
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