Putney Bridge Roadworks End Brought Forward Again

An earlier update brought the original completion date of 22 December forward by a few days, but the implication appears to be that the project will now be finished around a week ahead of schedule.

On the evening of 6 November, most of the barriers were removed from Putney Bridge and the High Street approach, as the new islands in these areas are nearly finished. The last thing to install will be the signal equipment, which the council says can be done with minimal further disruption. This has allowed the reopening of the second southbound all-traffic lane on Putney Bridge, which has somewhat eased the traffic flow across the river.

New lane markings were painted on the night of 7 November, which also allowed the reopening of the southbound bus lane on Friday November 8. This should speed up bus journey times along this busy corridor. The reopening of the bus lane means that all three lanes running southbound are now back to normal operation.

As construction progresses, the council’s civil engineering teams have shifted their focus to Lower Richmond Road, where new islands are being built with the aim of improving pedestrian safety and accessibility. Transport for London (TfL)’s signals contractor started on site from Monday, 11 November, to begin installing new traffic signals. While signals are typically put in after all construction work is complete, TfL has agreed with the council to start early, due to the scale of this project and the high traffic demands of the area.

A burst water main underneath Wandsworth High Street has recently compounded the traffic problems but it is hoped that roads there will be fully open by this Friday (15 November). The council leader Simon Hogg has written to the CEO of Thames Water in frustration at what he describes as the ‘unacceptable’ time this work is taking to complete.

Further traffic disruption in the area has been cause by a gas leak on the Lower Richmond Road near the junction of Queens Ride. Southern Gas has put two-way signals in as it works on a repair and currently estimates that it will be finished by next Thursday (21 November).

Councillor Jenny Yates, Cabinet Member for Transport said, “We’ve been listening closely to everyone’s feedback and since mid-October have been able to implement some changes that have opened up space on the bridge, and really eased congestion. I’m very pleased that more milestones have been met, and that the situation in Putney is now improving further.

“The improvements to this junction were badly needed, and again I want to say how appreciative I am of the local community who are tolerating these essential works with patience.

“I know emergency roadworks such as those by UK Power Networks recently on the Upper Richmond Road, and Thames Water’s ongoing works on Wandsworth High Street have caused a really difficult situation for everyone, but please be assured that we are progressing our works on the Putney junction as quickly as possible.”

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