Oops: Traffic chaos mounts after Tower Bridge gets stuck open
The moving elements of Tower Bridge remain stuck in the raised position tonight, shutting down one of the main road arteries across the Thames.
The Bridge was raised to allow a sailboat passage along the river, but the bridge’s bascules this afternoon became lodged in the raised position.
The technical fault last occurred in August 2020.
However, while minor faults are semi-regular it is unusual for the bridge to become stuck for this long.
Staff assessing the issue said they hoped to resolve it within a couple of hours, but tonight it remains broken
A bus driver of 10 years, who has been stuck on the bridge for over two hours, said: “it happens maybe once every two or three months, but 20 minutes or half an hour is the longest I’ve ever seen it.”
A technical assistant working on Tower Bridge said: “This hasn’t happened before. It has got stuck before but for different reasons.”
The maintenance worker said that while he hopes the issue will be fixed soon it is likely to be a matter of hours before engineers can remedy a fault with the software controlling the bridge.
He said: “A relay has tripped and it has caused issues. We need to find out what has tripped first and then replace it.”
A spokesperson for Canada Corporation, which owns and manages the bridge, said: “Due to a technical issue, Tower Bridge is currently stuck in a raised position. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”