Putney Bridge Works Finish Ahead of Schedule
Project originally timetabled to finish just before Christmas
Council says that the flow of traffic should be maintained. Picture: Wandsworth Council
December 6, 2024
The highly disruptive roadworks near Putney Bridge have been completed more than two weeks ahead of the originally announced schedule. When work started it was anticipated it would last right up to the Christmas holidays.
The engineering team worked 7am to 7pm on weekdays and 8am to 6pm on Saturdays and, when the work didn't exceed noise limits, the team was also able to work on Sundays and at night.
The project has seen the installation of new traffic lights which the council says will maintain the flow of vehicles while new crossings have made it safer to walk and cycle across the bridge.
The project has introduced upgraded traffic signals which offer a count-down at the crossing for pedestrians, and a detector to cancel the green man cycle if the pedestrian has already crossed or walked away. There are also small, eye-level traffic lights which permit cyclists to move off the advanced stop line a few seconds before the vehicles behind.
Pedestrian islands have either been removed to create more road space on the junction or moved back and made bigger, to create a simpler route at easier crossing points. The aim of this is to reduce the number of people tempted to cross the road while on a red man signal.
For cyclists, a new segregated northbound cycle lane has been created from the Putney Bridge Road junction up to Putney Bridge to enhance safety by keepung bicycles and vehicles separated for as much of the journey as possible.
The maximum number of lanes for traffic was maintained during the work, while still allowing for the required safe working zone for staff. Bus lanes were reinstated early on and as a priority, to enable faster journey times for those using public transport and bus stops that were temporarily suspended were promptly reopened in liaison with TfL.
The pedestrian green man phase switches off if nobody is crossing. Picture: Wandsworth Council
The temporary traffic lights used throughout the works were directly linked to TfL offices, enabling staff to monitor and change the lights in real time, responding to live traffic situations.
Councillor Jenny Yates, Cabinet Member for Transport, said, “It was high time the Council took steps to improve safety and accessibility on this vital junction.
“I am delighted we have completed the works on the new junction ahead of schedule. I know they caused disruption to residents and would like to thank everyone for their patience while the works were carried out.
“This project is a great example of how we’re investing in our borough’s infrastructure.”
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |