The shortlisted contractors are BAM Nuttall, Dragados and a Bouygues TP and Cimolai joint venture. The winning bidder will be appointed in late spring 2015 to complete the detailed design and construction, with construction starting in the autumn. The final contractor will work with designers Heatherwick Studios and Arup and landscape designer Dan Pearson.
The proposed 6,000m2 pedestrian bridge, which will feature 2,500m2 of planting including 270 trees, was backed on Friday the Mayor of London’s office following earlier consent from Westminster City Council and Lambeth Council.
The Garden Bridge will largely be funded by donations from individuals, charitable foundations and companies although the Treasury and Transport for London have each pledged US$47 million of public funds. The Garden Bridge Trust, the UK-registered charity responsible for overseeing the completion of the bridge, needs to raise US$273 million, of which US$172 million has been pledged to date.
The 336m-long Garden Bridge will cross the River Thames between Blackfriars and Waterloo bridges to link Temple and the South Bank. The project is proving controversial for various reasons, including heated criticism of the amount of public money that has been committed and proposed usage restrictions such as a ban on cycling.
The Garden Bridge is due to open to the public in summer 2018.
