Second update: Putney Bridge safety improvements
Published: Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Good progress continues to be made on the Putney Bridge project to improve safety and accessibility on and around the bridge. The council’s team remains on track to complete all works by mid-December. Recent milestones have brought significant improvements for local traffic and public transport.
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On the evening of November 6, we were able to remove most of the barriers from Putney Bridge and the High Street approach, as the new islands in these areas are now almost entirely complete. The last thing to install will be the signal equipment, which can be done with minimal further disruption. This progress has allowed us to reopen the second southbound all-traffic lane on Putney Bridge, which has eased the traffic flow across the river.
New lane markings were painted on the night of November 7, which also allowed us to reopen the southbound bus lane on Friday November 8. This will substantially 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.
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.”
Read more about what we’re doing to reduce roadworks.
As construction progresses, our civil engineering teams have shifted their focus to Lower Richmond Road, where new islands are being built to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility. Transport for London (TfL)’s signals contractor started on site from Monday, November 11, to begin installing new traffic signals. While signals are typically installed 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.
The works on Putney Bridge are part of our Decade of Renewal, which includes a £100 million investment in our roads and pavements. The Council is using contributions from developers for these investments, to improve the borough without increasing Council Tax.
Read previous updates on our website.
Improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians around Putney Bridge.