Millennium Bridge (London)

The name of the bridge is translated from English as the Millennium Bridge, since the construction of this structure was to mark the onset of the third millennium; the bridge became one of the few large-scale structures that were built in the capital of England in connection with the celebration of the Millennium ^[1] .

If you cross the Millennium Bridge to the north bank of the Thames , then in front is the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral , as well as its southern facade. If you go to the south bank of the river, then in front you can see the gallery called “ Tate Modern ” located on the banks of the Thames, and to the left of it is the reconstruction of the Shakespearean theater “Globus” ^[1] .

Construction began in late 1998 . The main work began on April 28, 1999 . £ 18.2 million was spent on the construction of the bridge (with a budget of £ 2.2 million) .

Before the preliminary construction, archaeological excavations were carried out on both banks of the River Thames , precisely in those places intended for construction ^[1] .

The bridge has not one, but two opening dates. The first time, on June 10, 2000 , the bridge was inaugurated in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II of England . About 100,000 people visited the bridge that day. Along with this, up to 2,000 people were on the bridge. However, soon unpleasant news came to light - the bridge swung very much from side to side; this was due to resonance phenomena; it is possible that the engineers who designed the bridge were mistaken in the calculations. After detecting a defect in the bridge, an attempt was first made to reduce the number of people who crossed the bridge at the same time; however, this principle of action has led to the accumulation of long lines. As a result, on June 12, 2000, the bridge was closed for its reconstruction. The people received the nickname "shaky" ( Eng. The Wobbly Bridge ) ^[1] .

After the closure, the reconstruction of the Millennium Bridge began - the engineers decided to add dampers to its design. After that, a check was carried out: 2,000 volunteers passed along the bridge and they proved that the problem of rocking the bridge was eliminated. Millennium Bridge opened again. This happened on February 22, 2002 . Since then, such phenomena have not been observed ^[1] .

On January 18, 2007, the Millennium Bridge was temporarily closed due to strong wind: these days in most of Europe a hurricane called Cyril raged; the bridge was closed because the hurricane could simply blow people off the bridge. ^[one]

The Millennium Bridge has an unusual construction: it looks like a horizontal suspension bridge. This bridge is easy to remember; he has an easily recognizable appearance: two Y-shaped river supports, stretched steel ropes pass between their tops and between themselves and the banks, 4 on each side; a considerable number of transverse beams are suspended on the ropes, supporting the span of the bridge ^[1] .

• The Millennium Bridge was present at the beginning of the movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince . In the story, the Death Eaters (a group of dark wizards) flew around London and brought down the bridge to the Thames, which was written in the newspapers. However, this episode does not correspond to the time frame of the novel: the events in the book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince take place in 1996-1997, while the bridge itself was built only in 2000.
• Also, the bridge can be seen in another English film: " Real Love ."
• Another bridge is found in the film Timeless. The ruby ​​book . "
• The bridge is found in the first part of the series Black Mirror .