The Millennium Bridge, better known as the wobbly bridge that links Tate Modern with St Paul’s Cathedral, will be closing for three weeks of maintenance work later this month.
The closure is needed because the synthetic membrane separating the bridge’s steel structure from its aluminium bridge deck has started degrading and needs to be replaced urgently.
As a result, the bridge will close at 8am on Saturday 14th October and reopen on Sunday 5th November or sooner if the work is completed more quickly. Signed pedestrian diversion routes will be in place via Southwark Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge.
City Bridge Foundation Chairman Giles Shilson said: “Since it opened to mark the new Millennium, the bridge has become a much loved and very well-used fixture on the London landscape, but it is starting to show its age.
“The separation layer under the bridge deck has started to degrade, which means it’s having an adverse effect on the bridge deck and needs addressing urgently.
“Replacing this layer is a time-consuming process, meaning we have no option but to close the bridge for three weeks and to work round the clock to get it done as quickly as possible.”
The bridge will also receive a deep clean during the closure.
The Millennium Bridge is owned by the City Bridge Foundation, a 900 year old organisation set up to collect tolls from London Bridge and now maintains the bridges across the Thames within the City of London. Over the centuries, its assets reached such a scale that in 1995 the trust was given permission to donate some of its annual surplus to charity – and now typically gives £30 million a year to charities across the capital.
Hopefully they’ll fix all the loose bolts sticking out of the deck as well
Presumably they’ll also remove all the padlocks which people seem to have attached to the bridge.
Whilst it’s good that it donates some of it’s annual surplus to charity, it’s a pity that some of it couldn’t also be used to repair/renovate the other bridges in London, i.e. Hammersmith, Chelsea, etc.
They aren’t in the City. Maybe that’s why.
That would require Parliament to change the law governing the charity.
Besides being repaired, those pathetic padlocks should be removed (I’ve never understood the symbolism behind that)? More importantly, the bridge should only be accessible by pedestrians, cyclists should be banned. I think the use of bycycles, e-scooters,etc is partly the reason why it’s degrading after only twenty three years?! Also they’re a menace to pedestrians using the bridge.
The padlocks must symbolise, “Our love is as secure as this Abus product”!
Each footfall does gently strike the structure — especially on the downhill.
Wheelchairs (or even lighter vehicles like bicycles) by contrast roll smoothly, without impact.
The pedestrian & bicycle realm hosts like minded souls; wishing to exercise their heart and lungs while traversing the metropolis.
It is indeed E-vehicles of any format, with more power than we all spent childhood learning to control, that are to be confined to the lazy motor carriageway.
Agree re cyclists – never consider their ‘impact’ on pedestrians.
Well said. The sooner these lycra clad hooligans are put back in their box the better, They are a danger to pedestrians, drivers and to themselves. They dont pay towards the useless infrastructure that they abuse. As for the socalled health benefits try telling that to the many pedestrians who end up in A&E
Cyclists pay for cycling infrastructure in the same way that motorists pay for motoring infrastructure – through general taxation.
All that money and now they charge to park in the Epping Forest car parks
The bridges trust cares for the bridges, not the car parks.
I am guessing the deep clean means they will get rid of all the miniature chewing gum artworks!
“but is starting to show its age”, it is only 23 years since opening, bridges are normally built with at least a fifty year life or longer.
First it wobbled, now it’s falling apart.
Not quite the best advert for the designers or actually for computer aided design or whatever the latest zingy name for it is nowadays, is it?
All mouth and no trousers!
It’s a massive shame this refurb also incudes removal of all the miniature paintings in the deck, criminal really.
Make the bicyclists and ebikes owners walk their machines across. Then they would see their impact on pedestrians.