Millennium Bridge to undergo £3.5m renovation

The Millennium Bridge is to undergo a £3.5 million renovation and work is expected to start in the spring.

according to a tender published The City Bridge Foundation, commissioned by the City of London Corporation, is looking for a contractor to resurface the deck of the crossing, repaint the steelwork and re-tension the suspension cables.

25 years old famous bridge Closed soon after opening due to extreme wobble,

“The Millennium Bridge is celebrating its 25th birthday this year and with thousands of people walking on it every day, it inevitably has an impact,” a City Bridge Foundation spokesperson said.

The opening of the bridge in June 2000 was part of projects to mark the new millennium linking St Paul’s Cathedral in London with the Tate Modern gallery on the south side of the Thames.

It was immediately closed due to excessive shaking, earning it the nickname “wobbly bridge”, and reopened in February 2002 after work to stabilize it was completed.

After almost a quarter of a century, the aluminum bridge deck “has begun to wear out,” the spokesman said.

“That means it is now slicker and more slippery than before, so we need to take action now to make sure the bridge remains safe for people to use,” he said.

“To ensure the work is as sustainable as possible, we are asking potential contractors to remove, clean and replace all existing aluminum bridge deck panels, which will be covered with a non-slip coating.”

The tender, which closed last week, listed three key elements: resurfacing the aluminum desks to improve slip resistance, repainting the steelwork, and re-tensioning the suspension cables, which were “completed first.” “has not occurred and will restore the profile of the central span after the initial relaxation of the cables and abutments”.

It also said it was important to minimize disruption to bridge users during the work, but contractors were to tell the City Bridge Foundation how they would achieve this.

The contract is worth between £2.75m and £3.5m.

It is unknown if any temporary closures will be required, with more details to be revealed once a contractor is appointed.