A brighter future

This stunning bridge – a poignant, unforgettable tribute to a victim of racial harassment – creates new connections for pedestrians and cyclists in a city actively working towards greater equality.

The David Oluwale Bridge in Leeds city centre is an outstanding example of how civil engineering can be deeply symbolic. The stunning structure and associated public realm – delivered by a BAM Mott MacDonald joint venture – is creating new, accessible opportunities for active travel in Leeds. But more than this, it serves as a lasting reminder to the city of its past and its on-going commitment to equality.

The 30m pedestrian and cycle bridge is named in memory of David Oluwale, who in 1969 was hounded to his death in the river by the authorities: having been repeatedly racially harassed and targeted because of his homelessness and mental health problems.

The iconic design of the bridge was developed in close collaboration with the David Oluwale Memorial Association (DOMA), to represent a connection from the city’s past to its bright future: with David at the heart of the narrative.

The idea of a bridge in memory of David Oluwale had been a long-term project for a partnership that brings together Leeds City Council, DOMA and other stakeholders across the city.

Now the vision has become a reality, with the bridge creating new routes through the city and opening up access to newly created green spaces and developments on the South Bank of the River Aire, as well as links to the significant public transport improvements delivered by BAM through Connecting Leeds and the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme.

Shared challenges

The project faced logistical, funding and social challenges, which were all dealt with collaboratively and in the spirit of working towards the best outcome for the project and for the people of Leeds.

For example, for funding reasons, the main structure had to be installed over the river by the end of March 2022. The team were only able to mobilise on site in early January 2022, so they faced quite a challenge to construct the piled reinforced concrete abutments, move and reinstate the river walls, and divert services in just 10 weeks, in order to enable installation.

Made local

While the enabling works were moving apace at the river, the steel structure was being fabricated locally, in Selby, less than 20 miles away. But the location of the scheme, in a tight city centre site, meant that the bridge couldn’t be transported or installed in one piece.

The solution was to identify a nearby compound earmarked for the Leeds Public Infrastructure Project, and to align the two construction programmes so that this site could be used to re-assemble the bridge before it was installed, without disrupting the other contractor’s programme of work.

Once the two sections of the bridge were assembled, self-propelled modular transporters brought the structure to the lifting position via closed public roads. Works to move, lift and place the bridge were completed ahead of schedule, and the roads were open again within 24 hours.

First light

The bridge is the first highway structure in the UK to feature a glazed balustrade with dynamic lighting. The panels are made from Spectraglass: a low-iron toughened glass with an SGP laminated safety glass inter-layer. The design means that the bridge can be lit in a striking array of colours, to support and reflect the city’s calendar of cultural events.

As this was a unique installation, BMMjv tested a full-scale mock up printed onto clear acrylic in the sports hall at the University of Leeds. This allowed the client and the designers – as well as the local planning authority – to review the pattern and the lighting effects before the 16 panels were finally manufactured.

As a result, the team was able to tweak the design to improve definition: so the depiction of the owl in flight is clearer.

Another of the big challenges for the project was to install these unique, bespoke glass panels into a structure over a river. The BMMjv team worked with the supply chain to source a glazing robot that manipulated the panels into position with no need for manual handling.

Sustainability and wildlife

In line with Leeds’ citywide strategy to encourage cycling and walking, sustainability was at the heart of the development and delivery of the bridge.

The structure itself was consciously designed for carbon efficiency, and the team was able to re-use materials found during excavations for the landscaping and approaches on either side of the river: including a historic masonry arch, mill stone and stone cobbles.

Although the bridge is in a resolutely urban setting, protecting and encouraging wildlife was also a key concern.

The glass balustrade has been designed specifically to avoid any negative impact on foraging bats using the river. The lighting and colours used are restricted in some periods to prevent any disturbance.

Bat boxes and bug hotels have been included in the landscaping, which has also been designed so that surface water run-off is diverted into planted areas, to reduce the need for artificial watering.

A recognised achievement

The project has been shortlisted for Civil Engineering Project of the Year, in the Constructing Excellence Yorkshire and Humber Awards 2023. But just as importantly, it has been unanimously heralded as a success by all the organisations and stakeholders that matter.

As Emily Zobel Marshall, DOMA’s Co-Chair, said: “The new David Oluwale Bridge is deeply symbolic… it is a physical emblem of our commitment to confront historical institutional failings and prejudices which led to the death of an innocent man, as well as a representation of renewal.”

“This beautiful bridge is a truly inspiring monument to David Oluwale’s tragic story, as well as a powerful and positive statement about everything we want Leeds to stand for today. It will be a proud symbol of that ambition and of our commitment to diversity, inclusion and a Leeds which is better connected in every way.”

Councillor James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council

Don’t just take our word for it…

Social-first news platform Leeds+ shared a film of the new bridge Watch the video

The BBC website featured the official opening of the new bridge Read the news story

In March 2022, Yorkshire Evening Post shared striking pictures of the structure being installed by crane over the River Aire Click to see the photos