London once built a pedestrian bridge that twisted like a corkscrew to clear the canal for boats; the unusual crossing was later removed in 2013

Opened in 2004 at London’s Paddington Basin, the Helix Bridge turned a routine canal crossing into an unexpected spectacle for pedestrians. What looked like an ordinary pedestrian bridge would suddenly begin to move. Instead of lifting or swinging aside like most movable bridges, the bridge retracted while its outer steel frame rotated, creating the appearance of a corkscrew while the pedestrian walkway remained level.

The unusual crossing, known as the Helix Bridge, was installed in Paddington Basin in 2004 during the area's redevelopment. It was designed to connect two sides of the canal while still allowing boats to pass, using an unconventional moving mechanism that visitors had rarely seen before. Although the canal required a boat passage, the bridge was created as part of the redevelopment of Paddington Basin, where pedestrian access across the canal was needed while allowing boats to continue passing through. Therefore, instead of implementing the idea of a regular movable bridge, they decided to make a unique construction that was able to move sideways and turn around simultaneously. It allowed the structure to retract from its place and let boats pass without any interruption. The Canal & River Trust claims that the bridge became one of several innovative crossings built during the redevelopment of Paddington Basin before it was eventually removed in 2013.

A different answer to an old engineering problem


There have been movable bridges for centuries, but most rely on familiar methods. Some lift upward, others swing to one side, while drawbridges raise part of the roadway to let boats pass. The Helix Bridge followed a different idea. As the bridge retracted, its stainless-steel spiral frame rotated at the same time, creating the appearance of a corkscrew-like movement while the walkway remained stable for pedestrians.

Where engineering met public art

While many bridges work to disguise themselves and their moving parts, the Helix Bridge took the idea of the attraction and turned it into a kinetic structure, incorporating both the glass enclosure as well as the rotating metal framework into the bridge itself. People frequently stopped to admire the bridge as it opened. The design also demonstrated how relatively small infrastructure projects could give a neighborhood a distinctive identity. Instead of becoming just another footbridge, it became one of the most recognizable features of Paddington Basin.

Why the bridge disappeared

Despite its eye-catching design, the Helix Bridge, however, had maintenance challenges. Due to complex moving mechanisms involved in its construction, the Helix Bridge became harder to operate, leading it to malfunction eventually. By 2013, the bridge had been decommissioned and replaced with another type of movable bridge that would be easier to manage but would still allow pedestrians to cross the canal.

The bridge’s removal also reflected a shift in how Paddington Basin was being utilized. When the Helix Bridge was built, there were massive developments taking place within the area as it was changing from an area that housed industries into a mixture of office spaces, residential buildings, and public spaces. Although the canal still required a movable crossing, the original bridge's complex mechanism became increasingly difficult to maintain. It was therefore replaced with a simpler movable bridge that continued to accommodate both pedestrians and boat traffic. The change showed how urban spaces often evolve, with structures designed for one period sometimes replaced as communities and their priorities change.

The challenge of preserving experimental city designs

The replacement of Helix Bridge urges consideration of a larger problem confronting modern cities: managing unique public structures years after the original project is completed. Although such structures can attract visitors and give a district a distinctive identity, cities must also consider long-term maintenance costs, operating requirements, and how changing public needs may affect them over time. For urban planners, these projects are an important learning experience, since a bridge should not just look great at the time of opening.