London’s Tower Bridge finally reopens to vehicles after being closed for more than 24 hours
Tower Bridge finally reopens after being closed for more than 24 hours due to ‘mechanical fault’ that caused traffic chaos in capital
- Tower Bridge was closed to vehicles today after a ‘mechanical fault’ yesterday caused traffic chaos in London
- On its Twitter page, officials said the crossing was open to pedestrians only while the road remained closed
- The crossing opened on Saturday to allow a ship to sail down the River Thames but the bridge’s arms, known as bascules, failed to close again afterwards prompting officials to close the popular landmark for testing
By Bhvishya Patel and Raven Saunt and Katie Feehan For Mailonline
Published: 07:04 EDT, 23 August 2020 | Updated: 14:08 EDT, 23 August 2020
London’s Tower Bridge has finally reopened after being closed to vehicles for more than 24 hours due to a ‘mechanical fault’ which saw the arms fail to close and caused traffic chaos in the capital.
A tweet from the popular landmark’s official page said: ‘Tower Bridge has now fully reopened to all traffic. Thank you for your patience while we fixed the issue. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.’
The exact nature of the fault is still unknown but the bridge’s arms, known as bascules, failed to close after it opened at around 4pm yesterday to allow a ship travelling down the River Thames to pass through.
Today pictures appeared to show the bridge’s arms open once again as staff carried out further testing on the crossing before the bridge was official reopened at around 5.30pm this evening.
London’s Tower Bridge remained closed to vehicles after it was stuck open for more than an hour due to ‘mechanical fault’
The bridge’s arms, also known as bascules, appeared to be open while staff tested the crossing following yesterday’s fault
On Saturday Tower Bridge in London remained closed to vehicles after it was stuck open for more than an hour
Pedestrians were still free to use the bridge but motorists had been advised by officials to seek alternative routes
A view shows the iconic Tower Bridge, which was closed off to traffic due to a mechanical fault, in the country’s capital
Tower Bridge is owned, funded and managed by the City of London Corporation, an organisation that works to promote the city as a world leader international finance and business services.
The City of London Corporation is older than Parliament and made up of Elected Members, headed by the Lord Mayor, operating on a non-party political basis.
Traffic in central London was left gridlocked after the famous bridge failed to close after allowing a ship to pass along the River Thames on Saturday afternoon.
Queues of motorists and pedestrians were left waiting for at least an hour from both directions.
A witness said: ‘According to the security radios we overheard there are multiple failures.’
City of London Police said engineers rushed to fix the bridge as drivers were urged to avoid the area.
In a tweet yesterday the force said: ‘Tower Bridge is currently closed to pedestrians and traffic, due a mechanical fault.
‘Mechanics are currently working hard to fix the bridge. Please find alternative routes.’
As the chaos ensued commuters took to social media to share their frustration.
One wrote: ‘I’ve been stuck here for nearly an hour now… #TowerBridge.’
A group of people pose for a photograph on the empty road on Tower Bridge today as it remained shut to traffic
A cyclist turns around as the gates remained closed on Tower Bridge today following a mechanical fault on Saturday
A woman stands on an empty road on Tower Bridge and poses for a picture with her dog as the crossing remained shut today
A cyclist makes their way to the gates on Tower Bridge on Sunday after the crossing was closed off for vehicles due to a fault
A passersby reported that they had been waiting to cross Tower Bridge on Saturday for more than an hour after arms failed
Hundreds of pedestrians were forced to huddle together as they queued on the approach to Tower Bridge after stayed open
Another commented: ‘Yep, tower bridge definitely stuck! One side started to come down but the other didn’t! #towerbridge #londontraffic.’
And a third added: ‘#TowerBridge opened almost an hour ago and it hasn’t closed back yet. It looks stuck and the two parts aren’t symmetrical.’
It is thought that those already on the bridge at the time were told via a tannoy system to find an alternative route.
It is not the first time that the iconic crossing has suffered a technical fault.
In 2005 police closed the bridge for ten hours after a technical problem prevented the arms from being lowered.
The suspension bridge, which is also a popular tourist attraction, directly connects the Square Mile financial district to Southwark.
Each of its bascules weigh more than 1,100 tons each with a 400 ton counterweight to help them descend after lifting to allow river traffic to pass through.
Traffic was brought to a complete standstill (pictured) with drivers warned to expect severe delays and find detours yesterday
It is thought that those already on the bridge at the time were told via a tannoy system to find an alternative route by officials
People took to social media in their droves to share updates over the technical fault on Saturday
Pedestrians, cyclists and motorists pictured waiting by the gates of the bridge on Saturday after the bascules failed to close
