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After nine long months of rehabilitation, the frame of London’s historic 142-year-old Blackfriars Bridge is once again back in its rightful place over the Thames River.
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With the help of a massive crane, crews spent around 30 minutes Wednesday morning lifting the frame of the wrought iron bridge up from the western side of the Thames, where workers have spent weeks welding pieces of the bridge together, and swinging it into place onto its abutments.
The bridge, built in 1875, was closed to vehicles in 2013 and closed to pedestrians in October 2017 ahead of an intensive and long-awaited $7.9 million rehabilitation, conducted by McLean Taylor Construction Ltd. and Dillon Consulting.
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PHOTOS: Workers weld together pieces of Blackfriars Bridge
Though the structural frame of the bridge is finally in place, there remains much work to be done.
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“Floor beams need to be added, the deck – so the walking and riding surface – the pedestrian railing, a whole lot of components need to be added still, and that’s finicky work that needs to be done over the river,” said Doug McRae, the city’s manager of transportation, planning and design.