"Nearly half of London’s population lives east of Tower Bridge yet they are served by only two fixed road river crossings," says Colin Stanbridge, Chief Executive of London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). This is the infrastructural predicament which has sparked the LCCI's "Bridge East London" campaign, a proposal for bridge linking Beckton and Thamesmead at Gallions Reach, which is aided by a design by HOK.
The proposal was unveiled on Monday, the 120th anniversary of the opening of Tower Bridge. Designed to allow clear passage for both ships underneath and aircraft taking off or landing at City Airport above, the bridge also features a segregated cycle path, adding a much needed - and entirely safe - river crossing for London's growing number of cyclists.
More on the bridge after the break
A bridge in this area of London has been periodically on the table ever since 1943. However, as detailed by Oliver Wainwright at the Guardian, it might finally be the chance to bring this 'undead infrastructural zombie' to life once and for all. "It feels like there might finally be enough momentum to make it happen," says Kat Hanna from the LCCI.
This is helped in no small part by the debate surrounding Thomas Heatherwick's Garden Bridge, a proposal which, while popular among many (including London Mayor Boris Johnson) has also been criticized for being relatively unnecessary.
In addition to this momentum, LCCI has created a petition to galvanize support among the residents of East London. You can sign the petition here.
