London: Traffic chaos after Tower Bridge gets stuck open

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London’s famous Tower Bridge is stuck in an open position due to a technical fault.

Traffic around the central London bridge is gridlocked, with cars unable to use the busy route.

Pictures posted on social media showed the arms of the bridge lodged in their upright position.

City of London Police has asked anyone trying to travel to ‘avoid the area’.

They confirmed the bridge is ‘currently closed to traffic and pedestrians due to technical failure’.

It’s not the first time traffic in that part of London has ground to a halt because of a mechanic fault on the bridge.

The same happened in August 2020 when famous bridge’s arms, known as bascules, failed to close having allowed a ship to pass through along the River Thames on a busy Saturday afternoon.

Tower Bridge

The iconic London route is currently closed to traffic after its middle section got stuck after letting a boat pass (Picture: Dr Liz Tunbridge/Josh Clarke)

Pictures showed queues of motorists and pedestrians waiting for at least an hour from both directions.

On that occasion, a witness overheard a worker on a staff radio saying there were ‘multiple failures’.

Construction of the Grade I listed bridge started in 1886 and it remains one of central London’s busiest routes.

Prior to lockdown, more than 40,000 cars passed across it every day.

Tower Bridge is currently experiencing a technical fault and the bridge is stuck open.
Slight pause to my walk #NursesActive but it was cool to see the bridge open for the first time in my life! pic.twitter.com/BE71N13H2d

— Paige Louise Brown (@PaigeBrownRMN) August 9, 2021

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https://metro.co.uk/2021/08/09/london-traffic-chaos-after-tower-bridge-gets-stuck-open-15062954/

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