Thames Gateway Bridge, sometimes referred to as Gallions Reach Crossing, was first proposed in 1970. The £500m project was ultimately scrapped in 2008 by Boris Johnson.
Now, the unfinished bridge ends in the middle of nowhere, with graffiti and rubbish galore.
Now, the unfinished bridge ends in the middle of nowhere, with graffiti and rubbish galore.
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00:00 The lack of bridges in East London is often talked about, with very few options leading
00:07 to traffic along limited roads across the River Thames, especially on this side of the
00:13 capital. I'm here by Galleons Roundabout in East London, where one bridge in particular
00:19 was supposed to connect Beckton and Thamesmead. The Thames Gateway Bridge was initially proposed
00:25 in the 1970s as part of Dockland redevelopment plans and initially approved in the 1980s,
00:32 the arrival of London City Airport complicated plans and eventually the project was scrapped.
00:38 As with all bridges crossing the Thames, the bridge would have needed to be tall enough
00:42 to allow ships to pass beneath it comfortably, but it wasn't allowed to be so tall that
00:47 it would interfere with the taking off and landing of planes at the airport. Efforts
00:54 were then made in 2004 again to try and push on with the project that would prove an important
00:59 way of connecting both sides of the river in East London. However, despite early progress,
01:05 the £500 million project was eventually cancelled by Boris Johnson in 2008. Now though, the
01:12 road ends in the middle of nowhere, unfinished, aimless and it has a really eerie feel to
01:18 it. The road is obviously deserted, however there is a slight junction to my right. Now
01:23 behind me you can see where early development started and it cuts off right at the end,
01:28 but now all that lies here is rubbish, CCTV cameras, signs and a lot of lorries and cars
01:34 parked up on the side of the road to rest between journeys. It has a really bizarre
01:39 feel, really eerie, it's almost a post-apocalyptic feel to the place. For more stories on this
01:49 and other news across the capital, head to Londonworld.com.
01:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]