London bridge
| London Bridge | |
|---|---|
The current London Bridge opened in 1973
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| Coordinates | 51°30′29″N 0°05′16″W / 51.50806°N 0.08778°W |
| Carries | Five lanes of the A3 |
| Crosses | River Thames |
| Locale | Central London |
| Maintained by |
Bridge House Estates, City of London Corporation |
| Preceded by | Cannon Street Railway Bridge |
| Followed by | Tower Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Prestressed concrete box girder bridge |
| Total length | 269 m (882.5 ft) |
| Width | 32 m (105.0 ft) |
| Longest span | 104 m (341.2 ft) |
| Clearance below | 8.9 m (29.2 ft) |
| Design life |
Modern bridge (1971–present) Victorian stone arch (1832–1968) Medieval stone arch (1176–1832) Various wooden bridges (AD50–1176) |
| History | |
| Opened | 17 March 1973 |
Coordinates: 51°30′29″N 0°05′16″W / 51.50806°N 0.08778°W
Many historical bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1974, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. This replaced a 19th-century stone-arched bridge, which in turn superseded a 600-year-old medieval structure. This was preceded by a succession of timber bridges, the first built by the Roman founders of London.
The current bridge stands at the western end of the Pool of London but is positioned 30 metres (98 ft) upstream from previous alignments. The traditional ends of the medieval bridge were marked by St Magnus-the-Martyr on the northern bank and Southwark Cathedral on the southern shore. Until Putney Bridge opened in 1729, London Bridge was the only road-crossing of the Thames downstream of Kingston-upon-Thames. Its importance has been the subject of popular culture throughout the ages such as in the nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down" and its inclusion within art and literature.
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Wikipedia