About Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become an iconic symbol of London. Because of this, Tower Bridge is sometimes confused with London Bridge, largely identical in appearance it is about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) upstream. The bridge consists of two bridge towers tied together at the upper level by two horizontal walkways, designed to withstand the horizontal tension forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers.
The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reaction of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower. The bridge's present colour scheme dates from 1977, when it was painted red, white and blue for Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. Originally it was painted a mid-greenish-blue colour.
The bridge is owned and maintained by Bridge House Estates, a charitable trust overseen by the City of London Corporation. It is freely accessible to both vehicles and pedestrians, whereas approximately 40,000 people cross it every day. The bascules are raised around 800 times a year. A computer system was installed in 2000 to control the raising and lowering of the bascules remotely.
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