A large crane swings Blackfriars Bridge back onto its abutments above the Thames River, August 15, 2018. Photo courtesy of the City of London.A large crane swings Blackfriars Bridge back onto its abutments above the Thames River, August 15, 2018. Photo courtesy of the City of London.
London

Blackfriars Bridge closed until Monday

London's historic Blackfriars Bridge will be closed a few more days than originally expected.

Wet weather earlier this week slowed completion of finishing touches to the 143-year-old bridge's extensive rehabilitation, city officials said. As a result, the structure will remain closed to vehicular traffic until 12 p.m. on Monday.

Pedestrians and cyclists who have dismounted from their bikes are still able to use the pedestrian walkway while the work wraps up.

The bridge was closed last Tuesday and was only expected to remain that way for three days, but rain halted the construction work.

Dubbed one of the oldest and rarest bridges in Canada, Blackfriars Bridge was built in 1875. Since then the wrought iron bowstring arch-truss bridge has spanned the north branch of the Thames River, connecting Ridout St. to Blackfriars St. It was designated as a Heritage Structure in April 1992 and appears on both the Ontario Heritage Bridge list and the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

An $8-million overhaul of the structure saw it dismantled and removed from its perch in November 2017. Following 13 months of rehabilitation work, the bridge was put back in place above the Thames and officially reopened in December 2018.

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