An international competition for architects and engineers has been launched by Wandsworth Council in London to design a new pedestrian bridge over the Thames.



The new bridge will connect the Nine Elms regeneration are with Pimlico embankment to the north and forms part of a £1bn infrastructure which includes two new Northern Line tube stations, improvements to railways stations as well as two riverbus piers.



Transport for London has recently conducted a feasibility study, confirming that the bridge would cost around £40m, carry 9,000 walkers and 9,000 cyclists a day offering an attractive car-free alternative to Chelsea or Vauxhall Bridges.



Four teams will be selected from the competition entrants in order to further develop their design ideas with the winning design to attract around £4 milliom of the development costs through extra funding or sponsorship.



The winning design would need to go through the planning process before work could begin, however as this is a project being developed closely with the council, it is likely planning should be relatively smooth and when taken in conjunction with the recently approved London Garden Bridge, we are seeing a trend for non-traffic bridges in the capital.



Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council and co-chair of the Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership, said: “This is a competition to find a team of brilliant engineers and architects to design a beautiful bridge spanning the Thames.



“This bridge has the potential to become an inspiring landmark, heralding the changes that are taking place south of the river and making vital connections to the north shore. The transport case is very strong indeed and this will be a valuable and sustainable addition to London’s transport infrastructure."

More information about the competition and how to enter can be found, here.