Feature: Mayor of London visions 13 new bridges across River Thames

A bold vision announced by Mayor Boris Johnson is a far cry from the age-old nursery rhyme London Bridge is Falling Down.

Johnson has unveiled multi-million-dollar plans to see 13 new bridges and tunnels spanning the River Thames in Britain's capital city.

It is part of a strategy by the mayor to transform cross-river travel in London to enable the city to cope with a massive expansion in its population.

The proposed 13 cross-river will increase the total number of river crossings between Imperial Wharf and Dartford by more than a third, and the number for pedestrian and cyclists by nearly 50 percent.

Johnson's ambitious proposals are detailed in a new strategic plan outlining how vital new cross-river transport links will be to help secure the future success of London.

His report, Connecting the Capital, shows how the proposed crossings are needed to support London's rapidly growing population, set to rise from 8.6 million now to 10 million by 2030.

Johnson said: "From Fulham in the west to Dartford in the east, this is a vital package of crossings that will drive economic growth and get more people walking, cycling and on to public transport."

The aim is to build the new crossings between now and 2050. The majority will be in east London, where population growth will be highest, with over one third of London's total population growth expected in the area.

Existing cross-river connections in east London are poor, with just three road crossings in the 23 km between Tower Bridge and the M25, and just one bus route that crosses the river, says the report.

Richard de Cani, managing director for Planning at TfL, said: "With the capital's population rising rapidly and more much-needed housing being built, crossing the river will become ever more important."

A public consultation has now been launched on two of the proposed crossings to improve connections between east and southeast London. Endit