Exact details Teddington Lock Bridges to close following £6.6m major repairs and impact on business

Two footbridges over the River Thames in south-west London will close temporarily next month as part of major £6.6m repairs. Richmond Council is carrying out work on the Grade II listed Teddington Lock floors, which were built in 1889 to connect Teddington to Ham, in phases.

The council has confirmed that the bridges will close over a weekend in June to allow a temporary ramp to be installed as part of the second phase of the works. The bridges will close to the public at 8pm on Friday 14 June and reopen at 6am on Monday 17 June. Local businesses The Flying Cloud, The Anglers, Tide End Cottage and The Boat Shop will remain open as usual.

A council spokesman said: “We will be working 24/7 to ensure all necessary work is completed so we can reopen the bridges on June 17. There will be a lot of activity over the weekend and some noisy work day and night. This is the only option to maintain the closure until the weekend, avoiding disruption to commuters and schools during the week.”

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The repairs aim to ensure that the crossing can be used safely for many years to come. The scheme was launched after an inspection of the side-by-side suspended and cut footbridges in 2019 identified repairs that were needed.

The first phase of work began last summer and included removing corrosion over the bridges, repairing and replacing steel and applying protective paint. The authority also repaired wooden structures on the island between the bridges and another on the Ham side. They also inspect the bearings on the locking walkway, which are key to its safety because they allow it to flex and absorb movement during periods of heat and ice.

The second phase of the work is expected to take six months

The second phase of the work is expected to take about six months and involves replacing the ramp at the southern end of the Ferry Road suspension bridge. The council has already installed a dam around the ramp which will allow it to throw the foundations of the new ramp and provide footings for the temporary ramp to be installed to maintain access to the bridge during the works.

Lib Dem councilor Alexander Ehmann, lead member for transport, added that the authority was “incredibly grateful for residents’ tolerance during this time”. He said the “noisy works” expected in the weekend closure were “far from ideal, but this is the only way we can keep the closure to just one weekend and avoid further disruption to commuters, schools and others during of the week”.

The council set aside a further £2.7m to fund repairs last November, on top of the £3.9m it had already budgeted, after finding the bridges in a worse condition than expected. This brings the total budget approved so far to £6.6 million, which includes the first three phases of the scheme. A funding application for stage four is expected to be submitted to the council’s finance committee for a decision in due course.

The design work required to replace the bearings on the lock gangway will be carried out in the third phase of the project. The fourth stage will involve replacing these bearings.

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