New wobble-free bridge opens

It is the latest way to cross the Thames on foot - and unlike the Millennium Bridge when it first opened, there isn't the slightest sign of a wobble.

A striking new footbridge alongside Hungerford railway bridge from yesterday replaced a Victorian pedestrian way between Charing Cross and Waterloo stations and the South Bank arts centre.

The old route was narrow and prone to flooding but at four metres the new one is twice as wide and has a soaring canopy of suspension cables overhead.

From the deck, Londoners can take in views of the Palace of Westminster unseen since the 19th century, when a previous walkway was closed. An identical footbridge is being added to the other, downstream side of the rail bridge, opening in September.

Of the total £40 million cost, £16.7 million was contributed by Mayor Ken Livingstone to save the project when it was threatened by rocketing costs. The bridge is also funded by Westminster City Council and Lottery money from the Millennium Commission.

At a late stage and at great expense the bridge was redesigned, after London Underground raised fears that piling work might explode World War Two bombs, breaching the Bakerloo line tunnel that runs underneath and flooding most of the Tube network. "It was a million-to-one chance," said the bridge's architect Alex Lifschutz, "but we had to take it seriously".

He said the walk under the arches of the cables will be "serene and romantic". With Trafalgar Square's pedestrianisation, it will create a pleasant promenade from the National Gallery to the London Eye.