In 1912 the Southwark Bridge was rebuilt after the original had been used since 1819. This bridge is especially important because it relieves the traffic on the London and Blackfriars bridges by offering another way to class the Thames River. This rendition of the bridge is still used today. The 1912 bridge improved its construction by building five steel arches and four granite piers, while the 1819 version only had three arches and two piers. The 1912 version was built in the very same place as the original. They managed this by building two temporary bridges on either side of the construction. While the bridge was still being built, pedestrians were allowed to walk across once it was safe enough for them. So while walking to and from the city, they were able to closely watch its construction in their daily lives. The grand opening of the bridge to all traffic was by King George V and Queen Mary. The payment for the bridge was done by the Bridge House Estates Committee of the Corporation of London. The architect was Sir Ernest Geroge, and the engineer was Sir Basil Mott. The stone and steel used in the original bridge were reused in the building of the piers and foundation of the second. So, some of the original bridge from 1819 is still being used today. Under the current five arches, each arch has an additional seven arches underneath to keep the bridge secure by preventing bending, which was a main fault in the construction of the original. That makes for a total of 35 arches in the bridge total made from steel. It was hoped by the city and its inhabitants that the Southwark bridge would help the traffic on the London bridge, but it didn't help nearly as much as they had hoped. The steep approach to the hill made it so the Southwark bridge was still unfavorable and only took on about a quarter of the traffic that the London bridge did.