A stunning new bridge honouring the legacy of a man who died after being racially harassed has been officially opened in Leeds. The David Oluwale Bridge is hailed as a symbolic link between the city’s past, present and future as a ceremony marked work on the landmark project being formally completed.Spanning the River Aire between Sovereign Street and Water Lane, the bridge, which will be illuminated every night, has been named in honour of David Oluwale, who travelled to the UK from Nigeria and was targeted because of his mental health, homelessness and race. He tragically drowned in the river in 1969 in a racially-motivated incident which left a lasting and poignant imprint on the city, inspiring a number of books, plays and a recently-installed blue plaque.The project to create a bridge in his memory has been a long-term partnership project between Leeds City Council, the David Oluwale Memorial Association and key stakeholders across the city.Engineers BAM Nuttall began construction on the 40-tonne bridge last year, with the structure fabricated locally in Yorkshire, less than 20 miles from the site. Contractors then used huge specialist equipment to transport the 30m long bridge to the riverside before carefully installing it with a crane.Now fully open to the public, the bridge will be used by pedestrians and cyclists as well as being a key element of the ambitious South Bank regeneration programme.
A stunning new bridge honouring the legacy of a man who died after being racially harassed has been officially opened in Leeds. The David Oluwale Bridge is hailed as a symbolic link between the city’s past, present and future as a ceremony marked work on the landmark project being formally completed.Spanning the River Aire between Sovereign Street and Water Lane, the bridge, which will be illuminated every night, has been named in honour of David Oluwale, who travelled to the UK from Nigeria and was targeted because of his mental health, homelessness and race. He tragically drowned in the river in 1969 in a racially-motivated incident which left a lasting and poignant imprint on the city, inspiring a number of books, plays and a recently-installed blue plaque.The project to create a bridge in his memory has been a long-term partnership project between Leeds City Council, the David Oluwale Memorial Association and key stakeholders across the city.Engineers BAM Nuttall began construction on the 40-tonne bridge last year, with the structure fabricated locally in Yorkshire, less than 20 miles from the site. Contractors then used huge specialist equipment to transport the 30m long bridge to the riverside before carefully installing it with a crane.Now fully open to the public, the bridge will be used by pedestrians and cyclists as well as being a key element of the ambitious South Bank regeneration programme.
