July 27, 1999. Copyright, 1999, Graphic News. All rights reserved

EYE RIDES HIGH OVER LONDON
By Margot Nesdale 

LONDON, July 27, Graphic News: WELCOME ABOARD for a ride into the 21st century. 
Cocooned in a glass bubble, you are promised the trip of a lifetime for nothing more than the cost of a few beers.
Your host on the groundbreaking voyage will be a £20 million, 1,500-tonne monster situated on the South Bank of LondonÕs famous River Thames.
It will take you prisoner for 30 minutes, gently swirling you around the capitalÕs skyline in the time taken to complete one full rotation.
But the creature, dubbed the British Airways London Eye, will not spring to life fully until after the dawn of the new millennium, in early January.
Almost three times as high as Tower Bridge, four times as wide as the dome of St PaulÕs Cathedral and heavier than 250 of LondonÕs famous red double-decker buses, the mechanical beast will radically change the complexion of the cityscape.
Sweeping the skyline at 440ft (135m), the wheel will be the capitalÕs fourth tallest structure, dwarfed only by Canary Wharf, the Nat West Tower and the London Telecom Tower.
The brainchild of architects David Marks and Julia Barfield, it is designed like a giant bicycle wheel and promises to offer unparalleled views of the city.
The 32 high-tech passenger capsules, positioned on the outside of the wheel, will carry up to 15,000 visitors a day, enough to fill Concorde 160 times over.
Voyagers will enjoy panoramic views of over 25 miles (40km) in every direction, weather permitting. Up to two million people are expected to take a ride in the first year.
The fare is expected to be £7 for adults and £5 for children. 
The wheel is being assembled horizontally over a 400ft (122m) area of the river in front of County Hall, near Westminster Bridge, using seven temporary islands as supports.
The 75ft(23m)-tall spindle, which holds the wheel structure, is around the size of a church spire and together with the hub weighs in at 330 tonnes Š more than 20 times heavier than Big Ben.
Construction work began in January and involves some 1,700 tonnes of British steel and components from Holland, the Czech Republic, France and Italy.
The massive structure will be hoisted into an upright position over 24 hours in late August in an operation only previously attempted on a North Sea oil rig.
Financed privately, it will be operated by the Tussauds Group and will remain in situ for five years, after which it will be dismantled and located elsewhere.
/ENDS

Sources: SAW Associates, www.london-se1.co.uk, www.london.press.net