Millennium - Bridge in London: one of the first attractions of the new millennium

Millennium - a bridge in London, which crosses the world-famous River Thames. The opening of the sights was timed to coincide with the beginning of the new millennium. Hence the origin of its name - Millennium (Millennium). In the people it is called - the Millennium Bridge, or the Staggering Bridge. In English, the official designation of the design sounds like London Millennium Footbridge. This hanging pedestrian pontoon is unique in its Y-shape and in that it connects the main London attractions: "Globe" - Shakespearean theater, St. Paul's Cathedral and "Tate Modern" - an art gallery.

Location and description of the bridge

Millennium (bridge in London) - a suspension bridge made of steel, designed for pedestrians. He connects the City and Bankside. There is a Millennium between the Blackfriars railway pontoon and the Southwark viaduct. The site was built in 1998, and its opening took place in the summer of 2000.

The Millennium Bridge in London is a truly beautiful design that attracts the attention of tourists. The unique structure looks like this: two supports, resembling the letter Y, support the bridge deck. Between them the cables of steel are tight. If you look at the pontoon, it seems that moving around it is not safe for life. But the architect who worked on the construction of the structure, Norman Foster, and the sculptor Anthony Caro took every detail into account and assured that their offspring was absolutely safe.

The bridge on each side is supported by four metal cables with crossbeams attached to them. The structure was designed specifically for people, and it is fully capable of withstanding their weight. The length of the bridge is 370 meters, and the width is four meters. On the opening day of the construction, there were about two thousand people at the same time.

History of sight

In 2000, Millennium, the bridge in London, celebrated its discovery. In one of the June days, Elizabeth II, together with thousands of pioneers, majestically walked on it. But after a couple of days the construction was closed to pedestrians, as during the movement it was heavily rocked. This could lead to irreparable tragic consequences.

Attempts were made to skip at the same time the minimum number of people. But such a decision was unsuccessful, because at the entrance to the Millennium Bridge in London gathered huge lines. The engineers conducted a thorough investigation of it and concluded that he was beginning to stagger "in unison" with walking pedestrians. The 89 shock absorbers that were added to the bridge structure helped to solve the problem.

In 2002, Millennium survived the second discovery, this time successful. But then it was closed a few more times: in 2007, during the storming storm, Cyril. The following year, pedestrians were again forbidden for a while to move around the bridge, because it was filming the movie "Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Prince."

How to get to the bridge

Tourists like the Millennium (the bridge in London), not only because it has an extraordinary design, but also because it is easy to get to. The attraction is near the central part of the English capital, and therefore the road to it will not take an hour. For two pounds a day in London, you can rent a bicycle and drive to the bridge in minutes, avoiding traffic jams and congestion.

Near the construction there is a metro station Mansion House. The fare will cost one to five pounds. Its services for transporting people to the bridge offers a city dock called Bankside Pier. Among other services of the company - a sea walk along the river to the very bridge Millennium.

Owners of the pontoon and its project

The London Bridge Millennium Bridge belongs to the charity foundation Bridge House Estates, and is also supported by it. Careful control of the construction is carried out by one of the corporations located in the business part of London, City.

To create the project, a tender was announced, which was organized by the Southwark Council in London in 1996. At the end of the event, the victory was won by a project called "The Blade of Light." Its authors were Sir Anthony Caro and Norman Foster and partners.

The design was supposed to have height restrictions and had to improve the landscape of the territory on which it was supposed to be erected. Therefore, the customers chose the design of the suspension structure, the stretched ropes of which were to be located under the central bridge and provide the most incredibly thin silhouette.

The Millennium Bridge in Figures

The English Millennium Bridge (the description can be read above) is equipped with two pillars, dividing it into three parts. The length of the first is 91 meters, the second - 144 meters and the third - 108 meters.

Eight thick ropes supporting the bridge, stretched with a force of two thousand tons. This capacity is enough to withstand a load of about five thousand people.

For the construction of the landmark was allocated a budget of 2.2 million pounds sterling. But it was spent more than 18 million pounds.