The London Bridge
February 22, 2009
You may have heard about the London Bridge in childhood songs growing up, but it is actually a real bridge that carries traffic across the River Thames in London. Of course, the bridge has undergone many remodeled versions through the years, but it is still in nearly the same location as the original. Some people believe that the original bridge, built by some of the first Roman settlers, was constructed as early as 50 AD. If that’s the case, it would have been the sole official bridge in the area for nearly 1700 years.
The current version of the bridge, which is a pre-stressed concrete girder style bridge, was opened in 1973. It can handle 5 lanes of traffic, providing a much needed route across the River Thames within Inner London. The bridge is fairly long, over 262 meters in length. The bridge, however, isn’t very tall compared to many world-famous bridges. It sits at a dramatic height of 8.9 meters, or 29 feet above the surface of the water.
Although there is not much to do at the London Bridge, aside from driving or walking over it, it is considered by many to be a tourist attraction. Due to the long historical tradition of the London Bridge, as well as it’s worldwide popularity in many songs and various other literary works, this otherwise-average bridge has a special place in the international limelight.
