The first new pedestrian bridge built across the River Thames in over 100 years, closed only three days after its opening in June 2010. An estimated 80,000 people crossed the £18 million Millennium Bridge during its first opening days, but it was soon shut down for safety reasons when pedestrians experienced a persistent ‘wobble’ while crossing. To cure the new bridge of its ‘wobbles’, an estimated £5 million of additional work was completed after engineers installed ‘dampers’ into the bridge to act as shock-absorbers. According to The Telegraph, 2,000 volunteers were used to test the ‘dampers’ by walking back and forth on the bridge to simulate rush hour conditions. After the tests proved successful, Millennium Bridge reopened in February 2002. The 320m-long steel bridge links the City of London at St Paul’s Cathedral with the London Borough of Southwark at the Tate Modern Gallery. When Queen Elizabeth II dedicated the bridge in May 2000, she said: “I dedicate this bridge as a symbol of the new millennium to the people of Southwark and of the City of London and to all who shall pass over it from all over the world.”
- Millennium Bridge
- www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
- Underground: St. Paul’s