The loud project of Thomas Heatherwick and the engineers of Arup The Garden Bridge involves the construction of a 366 m long pedestrian park bridge across the Thames. According to the authors, it should not only become another important symbol for the city and create an attractive public area from all points of view, but also provide a direct connection from the business center to the South Promenade and the actively developing South Bank area.
But, despite all the brightness and attractiveness of the idea, its implementation is not at all easy. Serious discussion was provoked by the too high cost of the project, estimated at 175 million pounds, and the possible invasion of the historical panoramas of central London. Dissatisfaction and fears were also caused by the strict security measures declared by the initiators of the project and the intention to track the signals of mobile phones of people who entered the bridge. In addition, they plan to periodically close the bridge for private celebrations and similar events there, allegedly, otherwise it will not pay off (these are all plans of private investors). Construction, which, after some doubts, was nevertheless supported by the new mayor, Sadiq Khan, should begin only this summer (Hezerwick won the tender three years ago) and be completed in 2018. Nevertheless, a specially created fund has already spent more than 37 million of the 60 million pounds allocated by the state, which became the subject of serious litigation and gave strong trump cards to the opponents of the project.
Allies & Morrison went the farthest in this challenging debate by proposing their own alternative green bridge. The new bridge is too expensive and unnecessary for the city, they are sure, but the very idea of a bridge-garden is quite consistent with the traditions of London and is generally very promising in modern realities. Having carefully examined the neighboring Blackfriars Bridge, built in 1869 by the civil engineer Joseph Cubitt, the architects saw an opportunity to move the roadway and combine both sidewalks into a public space 14 m wide. Here you can easily break up a full-fledged park area with a total area of 3,716 m2 with cozy seating in the ledges parapet and wonderful views of the Thames, St. Paul's Cathedral and the City area. At the same time, the movement of cars and bicycles on the historical bridge can also be preserved to the extent necessary for the city.
It turns out that an attractive object with about the same area of greenery as provided by Heatherwick can be obtained for much less money, without starting labor-intensive construction and without interfering with the prevailing fabric of the city. Whether the seemingly too ambitious "Garden Bridge" will be built, and whether the more practical Allies & Morrison proposal will create serious competition for it, should become clear in the next couple of months.
