The London Tower Bridge was successfully lowered after 12 hours

London – The lifting London bridge Tower Bridge got stuck in an open position on Monday, and both sides of the bridge were able to be lowered only this morning, nearly 12 hours after it was opened, the BBC reported. The disruption of the bridge's operation in the British capital caused significant traffic difficulties. The cause of the technical failure has not yet been determined.

The bridge, built in 1894, normally opens about eight hundred times a year, and vessels must request an opening in writing at least 24 hours in advance. On Monday afternoon, Tower Bridge opened for the large wooden sailing vessel Sailing Vessel Tenacious.

At the time of its completion, the bridge was considered the largest and most advanced lifting bridge in the world. Until 1976, its mechanism of four large gears was powered by steam, and in 1976 it was electrified. In 1952, bus passengers on route number 78 had a tense moment as the bridge unexpectedly began to separate, causing the bus to nearly jump from one half of the bridge to the other. The bridge got stuck in an open position for an hour last August as well; a technical malfunction during lifting also put it out of service for ten hours in 2005.