London’s iconic Millennium Bridge is set to close for three weeks due to urgent repairs. This will be the second closure in the bridge’s short history. The pedestrian crossing, also known as the “wobbly” bridge, opened in June 2000, but it had to be closed two days later due to a troubling sway in the structure when people crossed it.
Engineers eventually managed to figure out how to stop the oscillation, and the bridge was reopened in 2002. However, now a layer of membrane on the bridge has started to degrade and urgently needs to be replaced. The authorities have announced that the bridge will close at 8 a.m. BST on Saturday, 14 October and reopen on 5 November – or earlier if the work is completed ahead of schedule.
Giles Shilson, the chairman of the City Bridge Foundation, has announced that the work will be “a time-consuming process”. He said that it would continue around the clock, though noise limitations would be in place overnight. Shilson apologised for any inconvenience caused by the closure but said he was hopeful that people would see the benefits of the work afterwards.
Londoners and tourists who planned to cross the River Thames during the closure will need to make use of diversion routes via Southwark Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge. It is expected that the bridge will be given a deep clean during the repair work that will leave it looking like new
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