It looks like love will not be eternal on the Pont des Arts in Paris as the "love lock" bridge is coming to an end.
Photo Credit: No Love Locks
The bridge, which offers a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower, has long been celebrated by couples who visit the city and place a padlock as a memento. The pedestrian bridge runs overtop the Seine and has been the centre of controversy for many years as the weight of the locks have made the bridge unstable. On Monday, city council workers will cut the locks off with bolt cutters, unceremoniously putting an end to the symbols of love.
Photo Credit: No Love Locks
Hundreds of thousands of couples from around the world have signed a lock, clipped it to the metal railing, and thrown the key off the bridge into the water below. Last summer the weight of the locks caused one of the bridge’s metal grilles to fall into the river, and metal on the underside of the bridge has failed under the additional weight.
There are an estimated 700,000 padlocks attached to the bridge, adding an additional 500 kilograms of weight. The bridge will be closed from June 1st to 7th as workers remove the locks and put an end to the tradition of love.
Photo Credit: No Love Locks
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
