Welcome
Completed in 1894, Tower Bridge was instantly hailed as a London icon and one of the great engineering marvels of its age.
It took eight years, five major
contractors and the relentless labour of 432 construction workers to build Tower
Bridge. At the time, it was the largest and most sophisticated bascule bridge
ever built.
Two massive piers had to be sunk into the river bed to support the construction, over 11,000 tons of steel provided the framework for the Towers and Walkways. This was then clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone, both to protect the underlying steelwork and to give the Bridge a more pleasing appearance.
Tower Bridge £4million facelift
Created 21 June, 2008
In April 2008 it was announced
that the bridge will undergo a 'facelift' costing £4m, and taking four years to
complete. The work entails stripping-off the existing paint to its metal
framework before repainting. Each section will be enshrouded in scaffolding to
prevent the old paint falling into the Thames causing pollution. Starting in
summer 2008, contractors will work on a section of the bridge at a time to
minimise disruption, but some road closures are inevitable. The bridge will
remain open until winter 2010, but is then expected to be closed for several
months. It is hoped that the completed work will last 25 years.