Wanloria › Destinations › London › Millennium Bridge

Millennium Bridge

The Millennium Bridge crosses the Thames between Tate Modern, on the south bank, and St Paul’s Cathedral, on the north bank. It was built for the turn of the millennium from a design that won a competition held in 1996, by the architect Norman Foster, the sculptor Anthony Caro and the engineering firm Arup, with the idea of a footbridge without tall towers that would not block the view of the cathedral. It is a pedestrian suspension bridge 325 metres long and 4 metres wide, with an aluminium deck suspended from cables placed at the sides rather than above. It opened on 10 June 2000, but closed just three days later because thousands of pedestrians crossing at once produced a noticeable lateral sway that earned it the nickname “Wobbly Bridge”. After 37 dampers were installed under the deck, it reopened in February 2002 and the swaying disappeared, although the nickname remains among Londoners.

Things to do at Millennium Bridge: 3 missions

• Line up the bridge with the dome of St Paul’sStand in the middle of the bridge and see how the straight deck lines up with the south façade and the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral, with no bridge tower blocking it.
• Look for the dampers under the deckLean over the side of the bridge and find, under the aluminium deck, one of the dampers installed after the 2000 closure to stop the lateral sway.
• Follow the course of the side cablesWalk from one end to the other, noticing that the suspension cables run to the sides of the deck, not above it, and find the Y-shaped piers that hold them up over the river.

Near Millennium Bridge

Source: Wikipedia: Millennium Bridge, London