Originally, the bridge was built according to the project of engineer V. A. Khristianovich in 1825. Portals, railing and columns were decorated with images from Egyptian mythology and the entry to the bridge was decorated with magnificent sculptures of sphinxes. On January 20,1905 an unexpected collapse of so beloved by residents of St. Petersburg of the construction happened. At that moment cavalry squadron and eleven carts were crossing the bridge towards each other. Presumably, one of the reasons of the collapse was the resonance that appeared because of the coincidence of the frequency of vibrations of the bridge with the frequency of the moving squadron or insufficient metal strength in the cold. As a replacement a wooden bridge was installed in a short time. That bridge existed until 1955.

A new bridge has a more modest decoration than its infamous predecessor. However, the Egyptian motifs are certainly preserved, so today we can touch the original sphinxes. By the way, there is a city legend connected with these sphinxes: if a lady rubs the leg of one of the sphinxes, then she will be lucky in love.