PARIS – The Eiffel Tower, once considered an eyesore upon its construction, is getting a new ‘do.

Paris authorities have started replacing the metal security fencing around the famed landmark with more visually appealing glass walls.

The company operating the monument says see-through panels are being set up to replace the fences at the north and south ends. Each panel, composed of over 6-centimetre thick armoured glass, measures three metres high and weighs 1.5 tons.

The glass walls will give visitors unobstructed views of the tower, the nearby Champ-de-Mars Gardens and the other side of the Seine River that cuts through Paris.

In addition to the walls, the gardens beneath the tower will also be enhanced, all of which is being done as part of a US$350 million project announced last year to modernize the 129-year-old iconic structure.

With file from The Associated Press