Waterloo Bridge could be forced to close 'within four years' with major repairs needed

Waterloo Bridge could be forced to close unless urgent repair work is carried out, according to a council funding document.It comes following an inspection of the bridge which found water damage and 2 millimetre cracks - with the council now asking for £6 million to fund the repairs.In the document, the council said that additional measures including the introduction of weight limits, or even a full bridge closure of Waterloo Bridge, would be needed if the work isn’t done by the end of the 2029-30 financial year.Waterloo BridgePA ArchiveWaterloo Bridge, which connects the South Bank with the West End, opened in 1945 and sees more than 25,000 vehicles, and thousands more pedestrians and cyclists, cross it each day.Any closure would put severe pressure on neighbouring bridges and roads, amid an ongoing infrastructure problem in the capital, with funding challenges hitting London’s bridges in recent years.Transport for London (TfL) imposed weight limits on Vauxhall Bridge this summer, with warnings that further restrictions will be imposed by 2030 without repairs.London’s river crossings are managed and funded by several stakeholders, including TfL, local councils, and the City Bridge Foundation charity. Hammersmith Bridge has been closed to cars since 2019GettyThe government, under then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer, announced a £1 billion Structures Fund earlier this year to help councils tackle ageing bridges and other infrastructure, with funding allocations expected later this year.However, Caroline Russell, Chair of the London Assembly’s Transport Committee, called the figure a “drop in the ocean”, adding that councils will all be competing with each other for the support.Hammersmith and Fulham Council has already spent £42 million, about 20% of its annual budget, on Hammersmith Bridge since 2019, and has bid for £120 million for further works.Read MoreThe council has warned that without more funding it may have to close to pedestrians and cyclists too, with plans to fully reopen the bridge to cars already frozen due to the £300 million it would cost to complete stabilisation works. According to the council, the current preferred approach is a phased repair programme focused on keeping the bridge safely open for pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic as the next phase of repair.Caroline Russell, a Green member of the London AssemblyLondon AssemblyThe complete closure of Hammersmith Bridge would hit commuters into central London, and would also impact the Oxford-Cambridge boat race, which passes under the structure every spring.Labour MP for Putney Fleur Anderson told Bloomberg. “London is here because of its position as a crossing point for the Thames but its bridges are being neglected because governance is divided.”In July, Wandsworth Council Leader Robert Morritt said that responsibility for Hammersmith Bridge should be transferred to the London mayor Sadiq Khan. He said that the issue “needs clear mayoral leadership, rather than years more drift between borough and national responsibilities.”