Olympic bridge to go green after Games

Designs for a spectacular footbridge that will be at the crossroads of the 2012 Olympic Park were unveiled today.

The 55-metre wide structure is required to link up the fragmented Games site for the estimated 500,000 visitors each day.

The bridge will cross the River Lea and link the Olympic stadium with the competition venues in the north of the park.

Spanning a 26-metre stretch of the river, it will be the focal point for visitors to the main stadium, aquatics centre and the basketball arena in the centre of the park.

After the Games, a central multi-coloured section of the bridge will be removed to create more green space in the 500-acre park.

Stepped slopes either side of it have been designed to give access to the river. Olympic planners say this will improve access to Carpenter's Lock as part of a project to restore a network of waterways known as the Bow Back Rivers.

The bridge is one of 30 temporary or permanent walkways needed because the park is crossed by the river and other waterways linked to the area's industrial past.

The most prominent will be a 200-metre long structure that will form the main entrance to the Games, going from Stratford town centre into the undulating roof of the aquatics centre. The bridge design contract was awarded to Dublin architects Heneghan Peng, who are also designing the Grand Egyptian Museum near the pyramids and the Giant's Causeway visitors centre in Northern Ireland.

Simon Wright, director of infrastructure and utilities at the Olympic Delivery Authority, said: "The team impressed the design jury with their understanding of the need to plan Games and legacy together."

The authority says it cannot disclose the cost of the structure yet as the construction contract only goes out to tender next summer.