There had long been a bridge across Brewery Creek, but by the 1980s it needed to be replaced.

Hull and the National Capital Commission were working to turn the Brewery Creek area into a tourist and cultural district.

Incorporated in the bridge was an original steel girder from the Eiffel Tower, that had been part of a recently disassembled staircase.

The girder was donated to Hull by Paris mayor Jacques Chirac.

Architects Paul Martineau and Eric Haar modeled the bridge on Parisian style.