New road bridge for London
Date: 12-Jan-04
Country: UK
Author: Peter Apps
Transport for London said the 450 million pound toll bridge, which would have four lanes for commercial traffic and separate lanes for public transport, cyclists and pedestrians, could create up to 25,000 new jobs in the region.
"The Thames Gateway bridge would provide a vital transport link for East London and would help to regenerate an area that is greatly in need of better housing and employment," said London mayor Ken Livingstone.
But Green Party London assembly member and mayoral candidate Darren Johnson told Reuters that the bridge would increase pollution and congestion and do little to regenerate the area.
"We're totally opposed to it," he said. "It just seems ridiculous given how much public transport is crying out for funding."
Transport for London said 85 percent of East Londoners who responded to their queries said they wanted the bridge to be built.
The bridge would be the first new road bridge to be built in central London since London Bridge was replaced in the early 1970s after the existing bridge was sold to a U.S. businessman.
New London bridges have not always been free of trouble.
The Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian bridge linking the Tate Modern and St Paul's, was closed for over a year and a half after its initial opening as engineers tried to stop it wobbling.
The new road bridge would be constructed and operated by a private sector company in a private finance initiative (PFI) with Transport for London, the Department of Transport said.
The bridge would be between 50 and 70 metres high so that planes flying into London City Airport could pass over it while ships could still pass beneath it.