A LONG awaited new foot bridge across the mouth of Deptford Creek was officially opened today.
The new swing bridge connects the Thames Path from Millennium Quay to newly opened parts of New Capital Quay.
The bridge, with its striking design, was officially opened by the leader of Greenwich Council Denise Hyland at about 9.30 this morning. People took the opportunity to cross the bridge throughout the day, with many stopping to chat and admire the exciting new crossing.
The control system is on the eastern side of the bridge and is triple-locked and password-protected.
It takes three people to safely operate the swinging of the bridge, with access gates needing to be closed both sides. The same people that operate the Creek Road lifting bridge also operate the new crossing.
Following its official opening today, the first operational swinging of the bridge was to allow the vessel JAMES PRIOR out of the creek and on to the Thames – seen below in this video.
The operatives walk down to the footbridge, open that and then return to the lifting bridge to open and close that before finally closing the footbridge. The process today took about half an hour.
Good stuff, I love seeing a river being used.
Must admit, half an hour for the bridge seems a bit steep to me.