16 June 2000
The millennium curse appears to have struck again with the £18m Millennium Bridge in London closed just two days after it opened to the public.
In a terse statement, the Millennium Bridge Trust said it was closing the attraction to allow engineers to correct its 'excessive movement' – the bridge swayed heavily under the weight of the first flood of visitors last weekend.
It is now likely to be closed for a number of weeks with the engineers, Arup, considering installing shock absorbers to dampen its movement. The company is due to submit a full report on the stability of the bridge next week.
Any additional work is likely to increase the costs of the structure, raising the embarrassing spectre of ministers bailing out yet another millennium attraction. The Millennium Commission has already given additional loans of £60m this year to the Dome.
A spokeswoman for the trust said it was too early to say who would foot the bill for the work. 'We do have a contingency fund, but we really aren't able to comment. It may well be an insurance matter,' she said.
There also appears to be some argument over who is responsible for the fault. Lord Foster, the architect, said the problem was purely an engineering issue.
But this was swiftly rebutted by Tony Fitzpatrick, chairman of Arup parent group, Ove Arup. Foster later released a statement confirming: 'Everyone is working together to resolve the issue.'
PFjun2000
