The Millennium Bridge opened on 10 June 2000 — and closed two days later. As 80,000 pedestrians crossed it on its opening weekend, the bridge began to sway in a resonant wobble that sent people instinctively marching in step, which made the swaying worse. It became known instantly as the Wobbly Bridge.
The Engineering Problem
The problem was lateral resonance: the bridge’s natural frequency happened to match the rhythm of a walking stride. As people adjusted their gait to the motion, they inadvertently amplified it. Engineers eventually installed 37 fluid-viscous dampers and 52 tuned mass dampers to absorb the energy. The bridge reopened in 2002 and hasn’t wobbled since.
What to See From the Bridge
The views are spectacular. To the east, you look directly at Tower Bridge and the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. To the west, the South Bank stretches toward the Tate Modern, which sits directly at the bridge’s south end. Shakespeare’s Globe is a two-minute walk.
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