450 'Love Locks' Removed From Brooklyn Bridge, Thrown Away

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The New York City Department of Transportation announced Monday that has been cracking down on the "love locks" that couples attach to the Brooklyn Bridge.

The DOT issued a tweet Monday saying it had removed 450 padlocks and other symbols of couples' devotion.

The removed items amount to 75 pounds of waste headed to the landfill, the DOT said.

The DOT issued the tweet with the hashtag #NoLoveLocks.

There has been a safety concern about the locks for more than a year. Many couples have secured the locks and then thrown the keys into the East River -- a grand romantic gesture not appreciated by the city at all.

The DOT said there are safety concerns, for lovers and drivers below. The city said further that the as a national historic landmark, the bridge must not be damaged or altered.

The city reported last year that it had removed more than 5,600 love locks.

Love locks are also popular on the bridges over the River Seine in Paris – particularly le Pont des Arts and le Pont de l'Archevêché.

But officials in Paris last year also announced a crackdown on the padlocks and said some railings might be replaced with thick glass to discourage the practice, according to a New York Times report.

In:
• United States Department of Transportation
• Brooklyn Bridge