Editing Tilt bridge (section)

{{Short description|Moveable bridge which rotates about fixed endpoints rather than lifting or bending}}
{{More sources needed|date=December 2009}}
[[Image:Millenium bridge close.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Gateshead Millennium Bridge]] lowered]]
[[Image:Gateshead millennium bridge open.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Gateshead Millennium Bridge|Millennium Bridge]] open for river traffic]]
A '''tilt bridge''' is a type of [[moveable bridge]] which rotates about fixed endpoints rather than lifting or bending, as with a [[drawbridge]]. The tilting [[Gateshead Millennium Bridge]] spanning the [[River Tyne]] between [[Gateshead]] on the south bank and [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], England, on the north is a pedestrian bridge with two large [[hydraulic rams]] at each side that tilt the structure back allowing small watercraft to pass under.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gateshead Millennium Bridge (2002) {{!}} Famous Bridges {{!}} Bridge Building {{!}} Bridges of Dublin |url=http://www.bridgesofdublin.ie/bridge-building/famous-bridges/gateshead-millennium-bridge-2002#:~:text=The%20Gateshead%20Millennium%20Bridge,England%20on%20the%20north%20bank. |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=www.bridgesofdublin.ie}}</ref>

The pedestrian and cycle pathway is an almost-horizontal curve, suspended above the river from a just-beyond-the-vertical [[parabolic arch]]. To raise the bridge, this whole assembly rotates as a single, rigid structure. As the arch tilts lower, the pathway rises, each counterbalancing the other so that a minimum of energy is needed. The resultant appearance in motion leads to it sometimes being called the "eyelid bridge", since its shape is akin to the blinking of an eye if seen from along the river.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bridge Design{{!}} Gateshead Millennium Footbridge |url=http://bridgedesign.org.uk/resources/bridgepictures/eye.php |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=bridgedesign.org.uk}}</ref>
[[File:Nieuwe_Scheepsdalebrug.jpg|thumb|200px|Scheepsdalebrug during construction in raised position]]
Two further tilt bridges are known to exist in [[Belgium]], both constructed in 2011: the {{ill|Scheepsdalebrug|nl}} (Scheepsdalebridge) in [[Bruges|Brugge]] and the {{ill|Sint-Annabrug|nl|Sint-Annabrug (Aalst)}} over the river [[Dender]] in [[Aalst, Belgium|Aalst]]. The former combines the working mechanisms of a [[Bascule bridge#Types|rolling lift bascule bridge]] and a tilt bridge: the bridge is mounted on two lifting arms which roll along [[Rack and pinion|racks]], positioned parallel to the navigable way, tilting up the bridge leaf providing a clearance for passing ships. The latter is mounted on two lifting arms which are connected to fixed pivot points a few feet downstream from the bridge leaf. 
[[Image:MovableBridge tilt.gif|thumb|200px|Tilt bridge animation]]
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