Plans are in progress to make the Eiffel Tower in Paris more secure. This Parisian icon will be given a bulletproof glass wall. The cost is estimated to be 20 million euros and the project will be completed by the autumn.
The wall will replace the temporary fence that was erected as precaution during the summer 2016’s Euro Cup. Officials say that the wall be “sympathetic”.
Around six million people visit the Tower and they will have to go through security checks at the entrance.
The assistant mayor for tourism, Jean-Francois Martins, said:
The wall is designed to stop individuals or vehicles storming the site.
The terror threat remains high in Paris and the most vulnerable sites, led by the Eiffel Tower, must be the object of special security measures.
We will replace the metal grids to the north and south with glass panels which will allow Parisians and visitors a very pleasant view of the monument.
We have three aims – to improve the look, make access easier and strengthen the protection of visitors and staff.
In the meantime, his boss May Anna Hidalgo is planning other changes of a more environmental nature for the French capital in advance of the 2024 Summer Olympics. These include banning plastic plates and closing the Champs-Elysees to vehicles once a month in the hope it will get people walking and cycling.
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