As of Monday afternoon, pedestrians and vehicles can no longer cross Tower Bridge. London’s bascule bridge got stuck in the open position after passing a mighty sailboat, the Sailing Vessel Tenacious, as its schedule shows.
A “technical incident”, which strongly disrupts traffic in the English capital. The bridge connects the Square Mile business district with Southwark on the other side of the River Thames, and its closure caused long traffic jams on both banks on Monday.
This is the second time in a year that such an incident has occurred. In August 2020 the symbol of London was also found immobilized, after a blackout of more than an hour.
Built between 1886 and 1894, the structure was regarded at the time as “the longest and most sophisticated bascule bridge ever built,” according to its website. The scales move up and down, about 800 times a year, thanks to four large sprockets on each side, initially powered by steam before a hydraulic system was installed in the 1970s.