Tower Bridge in London gets stuck open, sparking traffic chaos

A mishap at London’s famous Tower Bridge in the heart of the British capital caused traffic chaos and onlookers marvelled at the sight.

London’s famous Tower Bridge, which crosses the River Thames in the heart of the British capital, was stuck open on Saturday, leaving traffic in chaos and onlookers amazed at the sight.

It was first brought to the attention of the London Metropolitan Police around 10am, by which time the traffic was already backing up.

The historic bascule (or “seesaw”) suspension bridge failed to close after opening to allow ships to pass underneath on the Thames. City of London police tweeted shortly after 5pm that the bridge was closed to pedestrians and traffic and mechanics were working to fix the problem.

Tourists and locals were stunned when the famous Tower Bridge got stuck open. Picture: @1scottishladdie/AFP

A busy crossing point between south London and the City of London’s financial district, there were scenes as bicycle couriers, traffic and pedestrians walked up to the bridge’s gates to see what the holdup was.

“According to the security radios we overheard there are multiple failures,” a witness told the Guardian.

The bridge remained stuck well into Saturday evening, amusing onlookers and frustrating travellers.

People pose for photographs in the empty road on Tower Bridge in central London after it stayed closed to traffic due to a technical fault the day before. Picture: Justin Tallis/AFP

People were given the opportunity to do whatever they pleased while the bridge was closed. Picture: Justin Tallis/AFP

As of Sunday morning it remained closed to vehicles during repairs, with only cyclist and pedestrians able to cross – prolonging the traffic woes caused by other bridge closures.

This isn’t the first time the bridge has suffered an embarrassing malfunction. The last time this happened was 2005 when it was left open for 10 hours.

Then again the historic landmark is getting on a bit as it approaches its 135th year.

Tower Bridge is 244m long and its towers are 65m high. It was built between 1886 and 1894.

This article originally appeared on the New Zealand Herald and has been republished with permission