COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A 120-year-old lighthouse has been put on wheels and rails to attempt to move it some 80 meters (263 feet) away from the North Sea, which has been eroding the coastline of northwestern Denmark.

When the 23-meter (76 feet) tall Rubjerg Knude lighthouse was first lit, in 1990, it was roughly 200 meters (656 feet) from the coast; now it is only about 6 meters away.

Local mayor Arne Boelt said "many things can go wrong" when moving the defunct lighthouse, weighing about 1,000 tons and sitting atop a cliff 60 meters (200 feet) above sea level.

"But it's worth the risk ... the alternative would to dismantle the lighthouse."

Thursday's move is expected to last 10 hours, at a speed of eight meters (26 feet) per hour.