Thousands of padlocks that clasped to the ‘Pont des Arts’ bridge were removed on security and aesthetic grounds as the locks weighed down the bridge heavily.
“It’s the end of the padlocks,” deputy Paris mayor Bruno Julliard told a news agency.”They spoil the aesthetics of the bridge, are structurally bad for it and can cause accidents,” he added, referring to the one section of railing that had already collapsed under the weight in a potential risk to shipping on the River Seine last year.
Affixing the symbolic love lock on the sides of the bridge after throwing its key in the Seine river had become a major tourist tradition in Paris, a way of ‘immortalizing’ their love.
Acknowledging the same, Julliard told reporters, “Paris authorities have decided to recycle the metal used for the padlocks for humanitarian projects so that the symbol of love which these couples have invested in them will not be lost entirely.”
The bridge’s lock garden grills will temporarily carry street art panels which will later be replaced by custom-made Plexiglas, according to reports.
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