The Tower Bridge in London gets open stick, causing traffic chaos

08/23/2020 USA


London (CNN) – Tower Bridge, one of London’s most famous landmarks, was shut down on Saturday afternoon due to “mechanical failure”, causing traffic jams in the city.

The 240-meter-long bridge, a staple of the London skyline and a popular tourist attraction, has a movable bridge of a train type, which lifts about 800 times a year to sink ships in the river.

Pedestrians, cyclists and traffic were stuck on Tower Bridge.

Pedestrians, cyclists and traffic were stuck on Tower Bridge.

Hollie Adams / Getty Images

But the landmark, which lies close to the Tower of London and spans the River Thames, remained “locked up in an elevated position” on Saturday before later reopening to pedestrians, the bridge said in a statement.

Traffic in the capital was “gridlocked” after the bridge failed to close after a ship was allowed to cross the River Thames, the PA Media news agency reported. Queues of motorists and pedestrians waited at least an hour, while police asked motorists to find alternative routes around the city.

Police sei that the accident was the result of a “mechanical error.”

Tension across the River Thames, the landmark known as a “bascule” bridge (French for “sea-saw”), was completed in 1894. Once powered by steam, the hydraulic bascules have been powered by oil and electricity since 1976.

“The bridge underwent technical problems this afternoon and was locked in an elevated position for a while. It has now reopened. Thanks to everyone who repaired it,” the bridge’s Twitter account sei.

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