[6] The bridge would form part of the regeneration on both sides of the River Tyne, providing a crossing between new commercial buildings and housing built in Newcastle and cultural and leisure developments in Gateshead.

[12] The advert for the competition was published in the New Civil Engineer magazine with the brief "We are looking for design teams who can create a stunning, but practical, river level crossing which fits this historic setting, opens for shipping and is good enough to win Millennium Commission funding.

WilkinsonEyre and Gifford and Partners claimed the prize in February 1997[14] with Gateshead Councillor Mick Henry remarking that the design was "something very special.

The original proposed name of 'Baltic Millennium Bridge' (in reference to the adjacent Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art on the Gateshead side) was objected to by Newcastle City Council.

Before a formal dinner at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, the Queen said "Today I see the tangible signs of the determination of all those within this region to create a new future.

[25] The bridge was designed to be as light as possible to allow for easy opening and closing, so the two arches are lighter towards the centre span than at the hinges.

Six hydraulic rams (three on each side)[28] tilt the entire 850,000 kg bridge as a single structure,[15] meaning that when the supporting arch lowers, the pedestrian deck rises to create 25 metres (82 ft) of clearance for river traffic to pass underneath.

[25][29] The bridge takes around four minutes to rotate through the full 40° from closed to open, moving as fast as 18 mm (0.71 inches) per second.

[20][33] The rotation of the bridge is also used as a self-cleaning mechanism, as rubbish collected on the deck rolls towards traps built at each end.

[35] Gateshead Council selected Gateshead-based Harbour & General as the main contractor for the construction of the bridge.

Harbour and General then selected over 12 sub-contractors to cover elements of construction including control systems, metalwork, lighting, and piling and river work.

[39] Watson Steel was appointed as the specialist contractor to prefabricate the bridge, and they subcontracted the design of the hydraulic system to Kvaerner Markham.

[43] The bridge was lifted into place in one piece by the Asian Hercules II,[44] one of the world's largest floating cranes, on 20 November 2000.

[29] The Port of Tyne Authority required the design of the bridge to incorporate a vessel collision protection system.

Between February and June 2000, the unsightly nature of the piles also caught the attention of the public, with multiple news articles and letters expressing discontent.

[36] Over time, Gateshead Council and the Harbourmaster noted that the piles were not required and they were removed in 2012 by BAM Nuttall Limited.

[57] This was a somewhat controversial decision; although the RIBA judges described the bridge as a "truly heroic piece of engineering and construction", there was debate among the attendees of the awards ceremony as to whether it also counted as architecture, with some claiming that it was not a building.