Castle Drawbridge Will Never Rise Again
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, 09-17-2014 at 09:20 AM (23789 Views)
This week, work was completed on refurbishment of the drawbridge to Sleeping Beauty Castle, all dictated by the Disney lawyers to prevent the possibility of some guest ever toppling into the moat.
Originally, there were black metal chains along the sides to keep pedestrians on the bridge. Later, shields were added to close the gaps. They have now been replaced with thick wooden railings and posts, with black metal bars and chains for good measure. The additions make it virtually impossible for someone to fall though—and prevents the drawbridge from ever being raised again.
The new wooden railings have been “aged” to match the beams on the castle, but they are a stark contrast to the fresh lumber used for the new drawbridge. Perhaps, Disney is relying on heavy foot traffic to naturally age the boards.
Continuing is work on the stone bridge that leads up to the drawbridge. Monday night, workers jackhammered away the seating areas in the little alcoves that line the parapet of the bridge. Safety management was afraid of guests standing up on the stone benches and losing their balance.
Next up, reported a construction worker on the project, “the parapet of the bridge itself will have railing extensions. Safety said they were about 8 inches too low. To prevent guests from falling off, they must be raised. So it was either install railing extensions or build up the parapet.”
I’ve heard of guests tumbling into lagoons, rivers and canals, but never of anyone falling off the bridge.