In the late 19th century, commercial development in the East End of London increased, leading to demand for a new river crossing downstream of London Bridge. It is sometimes confused with London Bridge, about 0.5 miles (800 m) upstream, which has led to a persistent urban legend about an American purchasing the wrong bridge. Tower Bridge has become a recognisable London landmark. The bridge deck is freely accessible to both vehicles and pedestrians, whereas the bridge's twin towers, high-level walkways, and Victorian engine rooms form part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition. The bridge is part of the London Inner Ring Road and thus the boundary of the London congestion charge zone, and remains an important traffic route with 40,000 crossings every day. Originally hydraulically powered, the operating mechanism was converted to an electro-hydraulic system in 1972. The bridge is 800 feet (240 m) in length and consists of two 213-foot (65 m) bridge towers connected at the upper level by two horizontal walkways, and a central pair of bascules that can open to allow shipping. The bridge was opened by Edward, Prince of Wales and Alexandra, Princess of Wales in 1894. The bridge was constructed to give better access to the East End of London, which had expanded its commercial potential in the 19th century. It crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and is one of five London bridges owned and maintained by the Bridge House Estates, a charitable trust founded in 1282. Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 18, designed by Horace Jones and engineered by John Wolfe Barry with the help of Henry Marc Brunel. River traffic is not as busy as it used to be, but it still takes priority over road traffic. The bascules are raised around 1000 times a year. It is crossed by over 40,000 people (motorists and pedestrians) every day. At 21:35 on 30 December 1952, a crowded double-decker London bus jumped over the gap when the bridge started to open while it was halfway across. There are not many incidents connected with Tower Bridge, however, one of them was remembered. A computer system was installed in 2000 to control the raising and lowering of the bascules remotely. Some of the original hydraulic machinery has been retained for the bridge’s museum in the old engine rooms on the south side of the bridge. This system was replaced in 1974 by a new electro-hydraulic drive system. The original raising mechanism was powered by pressurized water stored in six hydraulic accumulators. The pedestrian walkways are 44 metres (143 feet) above the river at high tide. The clearance below the bridge (for the river traffic) is 8.6 metres when it is closed and 42.5 metres when opened. Each of the towers is 65 metres (213 feet) high. The two side-spans are suspension bridges, each 82 metres (270 feet) long. They can be raised to an angle of 83 degrees in five minutes, in spite of the fact they weigh, 1,000 tons each. The central span, 61 metres (200 feet) long, is divided into two equal bascules. Construction started in 1886 and Tower Bridge was opened on 30 June 1894 by the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) and his wife, Alexandra of Denmark.Īs far as its technical parameters are concerned, the bridge is 244 metres (800 feet) long, divided into three spans. Jones’ engineer Sir John Wolfe Barry designed a bascule bridge with two towers built on piers. The competition was opened in 1876 and in 1884 Horace Jones’ design was finally chosen. In the second half on the nineteenth century there was a need of new bridge that would not cut off access to the London port. It stands in the City, close to the Tower of London that gave it its name. Tower Bridge is one of the most famous bridges in the world and surely the best-known bridge in London.
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