London’s famous Tower Bridge was “stuck in a raised position” for nearly 12 hours on Monday, disrupting traffic in the center of the city.
One of London’s most famous landmarks, it’s capable of raising its bridge when ships sail down the River Thames. But on Monday, the bascules (the part of the bridge that separates and lifts) rose and didn’t come back down again for hours.
The bridge became stuck at around 2:30 p.m. local time Monday and did not lower again until around 2 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Coincidentally, a YouTuber named Tom Scott who had the opportunity to press the button that lifts the bridge posted a video yesterday of the experience. Due to the timing, many people joked that he was the one who triggered the failure. However, The Tower Bridge’s Twitter account confirmed that the bridge incident “was not Tom’s fault” and that the video had been recorded well in advance of said incident.
A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation, which manages the bridge, told The BBC that the bridge was closed “due to technical failure.”
Roads around the bridge, which is one of Central London’s main crossings over the River Thames, were closed to vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians for the entire 12 hours, disrupting traffic around the river.
Tower Bridge typically opens to allow boats to pass about 800 times per year. The last time the bridge was stuck was last August. Due to a mechanical fault, the bridge remained lifted for more than an hour.
The bridge took more than eight years to build and opened to the public in 1894. It remains a major tourist destination for its high-level walkways with views of the city and engine room that tourists can visit on behind-the-scenes tours.
The City of London Corporation said that it is still investigating the failure but what exactly caused it is still unknown.
Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.
London’s famous Tower Bridge was “stuck in a raised position” for nearly 12 hours on Monday, disrupting traffic in the center of the city.
One of London’s most famous landmarks, it’s capable of raising its bridge when ships sail down the River Thames. But on Monday, the bascules (the part of the bridge that separates and lifts) rose and didn’t come back down again for hours.
The bridge became stuck at around 2:30 p.m. local time Monday and did not lower again until around 2 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Coincidentally, a YouTuber named Tom Scott who had the opportunity to press the button that lifts the bridge posted a video yesterday of the experience. Due to the timing, many people joked that he was the one who triggered the failure. However, The Tower Bridge’s Twitter account confirmed that the bridge incident “was not Tom’s fault” and that the video had been recorded well in advance of said incident.
A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation, which manages the bridge, told The BBC that the bridge was closed “due to technical failure.”
Roads around the bridge, which is one of Central London’s main crossings over the River Thames, were closed to vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians for the entire 12 hours, disrupting traffic around the river.
Tower Bridge typically opens to allow boats to pass about 800 times per year. The last time the bridge was stuck was last August. Due to a mechanical fault, the bridge remained lifted for more than an hour.
The bridge took more than eight years to build and opened to the public in 1894. It remains a major tourist destination for its high-level walkways with views of the city and engine room that tourists can visit on behind-the-scenes tours.
The City of London Corporation said that it is still investigating the failure but what exactly caused it is still unknown.
Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.
