- Tower Bridge in London reopened for traffic on Tuesday.
- A “technical glitch” caused the arms of this 19th-century landmark to point to the sky for nearly twelve hours.
- This is the second time the bridge has been stuck in a year.
Tower Bridge reopened for traffic on Tuesday after a “technical failure” caused the arms of this 19th-century landmark to point to the sky for nearly 12 hours.
According to the timetable of the bridge, two parts of the bridge have been stuck since mid-afternoon on Monday, when they were supposed to be opened for a tall wooden boat “Tough Sailing”.
The bridge is one of the most recognizable features in the London skyline, and it was stuck for the second time in a year.
According to the BBC, the bridge reopened to traffic at 01:45 British Summer Time on Tuesday.
The bridge connects the Square Mile financial district with Southwark across the Thames, and its closure has resulted in long lines forming on both sides of the border crossing.
According to its website, this landmark was built between 1886 and 1894 when it was considered “the largest and most complex bridge ever built.”
Bascules-the word for the bridge arm, derived from the French “seesaw”-moves up and down through the four large gears on each side. Before the installation of an electro-hydraulic system in the 1970s, the gears were originally driven by steam.
The bridge usually raises and lowers about 800 times a year.
In August 2020, it was still stuck for more than an hour, causing traffic in the surrounding area to a deadlock.
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