Clifton Crossing Competition 2006

ends Apr 9, 2006
Clifton Crossing Competition 2006
The Clifton Suspension Bridge across the Avon Gorge in Bristol is the iconic reminder of IK Brunel's genius.

But could it be bettered today?

In 1831 the city of Bristol declared Isambard Kingdom Brunel the winner of its open competition to design a bridge across the Avon Gorge at Clifton.

At the age of 24 it was his first commission.

It was a triumph of youth and innovation over the establishment.

His ideas eclipsed the alternative designs from the great and good of 19th-century engineering - including Thomas Telford, leading engineer of the time and founder of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Brunel's radical wrought iron link suspension bridge design slung 214m between two sandstone towers hewn into the rock walls prompted much debate in the profession at the time.

Would it work? Could it be built? Would it cost too much?

Sadly Brunel died five years before the Clifton Bridge was officially opened in 1864 but it nevertheless remains an iconic reminder of the man's engineering genius and dogged persistence in the face of extreme difficulty.

To celebrate the great man's 200th birthday this year, New Civil Engineer magazine and the University of Bristol are hosting the Clifton Crossing Competition 2006 - a re-run of the 1831 competition as a challenge to the modern profession to