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The Gateshead Millennium Bridge , also known as the Blinking Eye was opened to the public on 17 September 2001 and was officially dedicated by HM Queen Elizabeth II on 7th May 2002. It cost £22m to build, and was designed by architects Wilson Eyre and structural engineers Gifford; it was built by Volker Stevin. It is a pedestrian and cycle bridge spanning the River Tyne and connecting Newcastle to Gateshead. The bridge is known as the Blinking Eye because of its elliptical shape and its rotational movement.
