Roads around a South London bridge will shut for resurfacing from Monday, in the final phase of a major scheme to help with congestion.
Wandsworth Council confirmed the road closures around Putney Bridge will take place overnight from February 24 to March 4.
The council will resurface and repaint the roads at night, from 9pm to 5am, ahead of Transport for London (TfL) installing traffic sensors to optimise traffic flow in the area. The sensors will link the recently upgraded traffic lights at the junctions of Putney High Street with Putney Bridge Road, and Putney Bridge Road with Lower Richmond Road, to TfL’s control room.
The roads will be closed in phases, with diversions in place. Side roads next to the works will have temporary two-way access for local vehicles. The road closures are listed below:
- February 24: Putney Bridge and Lower Richmond Road junction
- February 25: Lower Richmond Road from Putney Embankment to Putney Bridge
- February 26: Putney High Street northbound from Putney Bridge to Putney Bridge Road
- February 27: Putney High Street southbound from Putney Bridge to Putney Bridge Road
- February 28: Putney Bridge Road from Brewhouse Lane to Putney High Street
- March 3: Putney High Street southbound from Putney Bridge to Felsham Road
- March 4: Completion of lining and signal loop detection
TfL’s installation of the sensors, scheduled for early March, will add the finishing touches to major upgrades to the junction of Putney Bridge Road, Lower Richmond Road and Putney High Street, which were carried out from September to December last year. The council previously said the scheme has made it easier and safer to cross the junction and to walk and cycle across the 139-year-old bridge, while maintaining traffic flow for cars, motorbikes and buses.
Traffic lights at the junction have been upgraded, with a countdown for pedestrians and a detector to cancel out any demands if they have already crossed or walked away. New small, eye-level traffic lights have also been installed to allow cyclists to cross a few seconds before vehicles behind.
Pedestrian islands at the junction have been removed, while others have been moved back and made bigger to allow people to cross in fewer stages. A new segregated northbound cycle lane has been introduced up to the bridge to keep bikes and vehicles separate for as much of the journey as possible.
Labour councillor Jenny Yates, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “The Putney junction upgrade is just one part of the improvements to Putney High Street which have taken place over a number of years.
“The council is working hard to improve traffic flow across the borough, which has been made harder by the continued closure of Hammersmith Bridge.
“Alongside our £100million investment in resurfacing our roads and pavements to make them better and safer for all users, we have also successfully lobbied TfL to increase bus services through Putney, as well as reopen the Green Man bus stop for alighting passengers, making life easier for those who use public transport.
“We are continuing our work with TfL and the bus operators to improve the bus services, and with the utility companies to minimise disruption from road works in the Putney area.
“We will soon be making the bus lane on Putney Bridge Road a 7am-7pm operation, rather than having part day restrictions, to help speed up bus and cycle journeys from Wandsworth Town through Putney during peak times.”
