Garden Bridge: A greener commute across London’s River Thames
Among the towering skyscrapers and bustling streets of England’s capital city, a new leafy green oasis is due to be constructed.
The Garden Bridge will give pedestrians a more scenic route across London’s River Thames, with a footpath that weaves through an expansive garden landscape.
The Garden Bridge will provide year-round colour and attract a diverse range of wildlife
Around 2,500 square metres (26,910 square feet) of the bridge will feature 270 trees, 2,000 shrubs, hedging plants and climbers, over 22,000 hardy perennials, ferns and grasses and 64,000 bulbs. Each species has been selected specifically for its resilience and suitability for this environment, and soil scientists have ensured the right conditions for different species can be achieved.
At the time of writing, the project is still waiting final approval, but it’s hoped construction will begin in 2016 and it will open to the public in 2018, providing a leafy link between north and south London.
Super-strength protective skin
The base of the Garden Bridge will have a protective copper-nickel alloy skin
The carbon steel feet and underside of the Garden Bridge will be coated in copper- nickel alloy, a material also known as cupronickel that is made mainly of copper, a smaller percentage of nickel and some iron and manganese.
It is typically used to coat boats and oil rigs because of its excellent resistance to seawater corrosion, so will help to prevent the bridge from rusting. It will also help to improve the strength of the bridge and make for a visually appealing structure thanks to its warm colour.
More than 240 tons of cupronickel will be required to cover the 366-metre (1,201-foot) walkway, but its protective qualities will make the bridge very low maintenance.
Discover more amazing facts about science and technology in the latest issue of How It Works magazine. It’s available from all good retailers, or you can order it online from the ImagineShop. If you have a tablet or smartphone, you can also download the digital version onto your iOS or Android device. To make sure you never miss an issue of How It Works magazine, make sure you subscribe today!
Plus take a look at:
Top 5 facts about Tower Bridge
How can resonance collapse bridges?
Top 5 facts about the Golden Gate Bridge
