Putney Bridge

greg66_tri_v2.0

Just ahd this pop into my inbox, which may be of interest to those that use PB daily:

Repairs to Putney Bridge, which are urgently needed to safeguard the future of this vital river crossing, mean it will close to all vehicle traffic on Monday, July 14.

However, the predicted six month closure timetable has been dramatically reduced. Now, engineers are predicting the works could be completed in around half that time.

Council leader Ravi Govindia said: “These works are absolutely vital to protect the internal fabric of the bridge and ensure it lasts another 100 years.

“Our primary concern is to get this important job done efficiently and quickly so that there is the least amount of disruption to residents, businesses and the wider travelling public.”

The vast majority of the £1.5m repair programme will be carried out during the school summer holidays when traffic levels are at their lightest. This timetable should also ensure that the bridge will reopen in plenty of time for Christmas so that local businesses can take advantage of the busy festive shopping period.

While the works are ongoing pedestrians will still be able to cross the bridge, as will cyclists, although they will need to dismount.

Buses will operate a shuttle service from both ends of the bridge. This means that passengers will need to cross it on foot to carry on their journeys.

Motorists will still be able to use other river crossings, while others are expected to switch to public transport. People who make only short journeys north and south of the river may take advantage of the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme which was extended to Putney and other northern parts of the borough in December 2013.

The timing of the repairs has been drawn up in close consultation with Transport for London, neighbouring highway authorities, local amenity groups, business representatives and other partners to ensure a high level of co-ordination with other major roadworks in south and west London.

The programme has also been drawn up to avoid impacting on the Wimbledon tennis championships, while the works have been scheduled so that August’s Ride London cycle event, which attracts thousands of professional and amateur bike riders, can still be accommodated.

The decision to fully close the bridge to all traffic – rather than have a partial closure – was backed by a clear majority of both residents and businesses during the public consultation late last year. The public’s preferred option was getting the job done in the shortest possible time and at the lowest cost to taxpayers.

Cllr Govindia added: “I am pleased that we have dramatically shortened the closure period and ensured that not only will the works be carried out when traffic levels are at their lowest, but that these vital repairs should be completed well before the busy Christmas rush, which is good news for local traders.

“Unfortunately a repair job on this scale to an important river crossing means that some degree of disruption is unavoidable, and we are of course very sorry for the inconvenience it will cause, but we have worked very hard to keep this to the absolute minimum.

“And we are giving people as much advance warning as we can so that they have plenty of time to plan alternative routes or look at using other forms of transport to get across the river.”

The council will be sending out around 60,000 advance warning letters to residents on both sides of the river. Large yellow warning signs will be placed on lamposts on all approaches in Wandsworth and Hammersmith and Fulham, while digital warning signs will also be used to alert motorists throughout the area.

Information will also be emailed to residents and businesses with parking permits, while others will be sent an SMS text alert on their mobile phones. Details will also be provided to the public via social media, local leaflet drops and also in the pages of the Wandsworth and the Hammersmith & Fulham council magazines.

Public meetings and drop-in sessions are also being arranged so that people can find out more about the project and posters will also be placed on bus stops across Putney to inform passengers about the changes.

Bold added by me. Sounds like it will be reopened specially for the Ride100. Unless, as per the earlier statement, R100 riders will have to dismount and walk across...

drlodge

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

Sounds like it will be reopened specially for the Ride100. Unless, as per the earlier statement, R100 riders will have to dismount and walk across...

It will be open for that event, since the professional road race follows it on the same day, and I dare say the professionals won't have to get off and walk it (they'll get their domestiques to carry them )

rower63

Looking at map it appears 6-and-half dozen between the walk and the Wandsworth bridge alternative. I don't like the look of the Wandsworth Gyratory on a bike, not done it for decades, perhaps it's been "improved" with cyclists in mind?

I might try some exploratory pathfinding before it closes.

rower63

Looking at map it appears 6-and-half dozen between the walk and the Wandsworth bridge alternative. I don't like the look of the Wandsworth Gyratory on a bike, not done it for decades, perhaps it's been "improved" with cyclists in mind?

I might try some exploratory pathfinding before it closes.

tgotb

Hard to judge, I reckon, until we see what the impact is on traffic elsewhere. It's conceivable that LRR and NKR will actually be clearer, but then again the whole area could seize up.

greg66_tri_v2.0

rower63 wrote:

Looking at map it appears 6-and-half dozen between the walk and the Wandsworth bridge alternative. I don't like the look of the Wandsworth Gyratory on a bike, not done it for decades, perhaps it's been "improved" with cyclists in mind?

I might try some exploratory pathfinding before it closes.

It hasn't - the times I've ridden it (returning from RP) I have found it unpleasant. From PB, Putney Bridge Road, Armoury Way, Old York Road is probably least bad, but Armoury Way ain't a lot of fun.

BigLights

Depends where you're going...but Battersea Bridge, brief stint on York Road, up Plough Road, cut through to Spencer Park, down Earlsfield Road and it'll take to Southfields/Wimbledon etc in a not-too-unpleasant manner.

dyrlac

Clearly has to be done, so may as well get on with it. But this may mean I'll go by way of CS7 when feeling lazy and suicidal, or Barnes/Hammersmith when feeling full of vim for Richmond Park laps.

itboffin

Sucks to be you ....lot

the few cars that passed me this evening gave me loads of room on the empty country lanes

cjcp

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

rower63 wrote:

Looking at map it appears 6-and-half dozen between the walk and the Wandsworth bridge alternative. I don't like the look of the Wandsworth Gyratory on a bike, not done it for decades, perhaps it's been "improved" with cyclists in mind?

I might try some exploratory pathfinding before it closes.

It hasn't - the times I've ridden it (returning from RP) I have found it unpleasant. From PB, Putney Bridge Road, Armoury Way, Old York Road is probably least bad, but Armoury Way ain't a lot of fun.

+1. This gyratory, and, sadly, the Vauxhall one, are the two reasons I don't commute along the south side route any more.

Hammersmith Bridge doesn't look any better, though. May have to take a wander up there.

asprilla

Hammersmith bridge is fine.

One of the advantages of having a bridge a surface made from plywood and roofing felt is that you can resurface it in a morning for £76.49 plus labour. It was last done about 9 months ago.

tgotb

Asprilla wrote:

Hammersmith bridge is fine.

Though it does have the minor disadvantage of not being on the way from anywhere to anywhere...

asprilla

TGOTB wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

Hammersmith bridge is fine.

Though it does have the minor disadvantage of not being on the way from anywhere to anywhere...

It's probably the route I'm going to take to Oxford Circus when I start in a few weeks and in my time working in London I've easily used it more than Putney Bridge.

oneiroi

TGOTB wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

Hammersmith bridge is fine.

Though it does have the minor disadvantage of not being on the way from anywhere to anywhere...

On behalf of north west London's 3 cyclists:

ManiaMuse

Asprilla wrote:

Hammersmith bridge is fine.

One of the advantages of having a bridge a surface made from plywood and roofing felt is that you can resurface it in a morning for £76.49 plus labour. It was last done about 9 months ago.

Have you seen it recently?

They closed it in one direction during the daytime at the start of this year for several weeks, including full weekend closures. Even with all that time to work on it they still did a shoddy job of patching it up in any way that provides a smooth surface to drive/ride over (imagine riding over the top of a lego brick with metal rivets protruding everywhere). Pieces of the roofing felt surface are already falling off exposing the plywood again. You'd think in today's modern society they might be able to find a surface which is lightweight and can stand up to a few buses going over it each day (even HGVs are banned from driving over it so doesn't have that excuse!)

Give it another 6 months and a winter and it will not look much better than it did before they closed it at the start of this year!

asprilla

ManiaMuse wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

Hammersmith bridge is fine.

One of the advantages of having a bridge a surface made from plywood and roofing felt is that you can resurface it in a morning for £76.49 plus labour. It was last done about 9 months ago.

Have you seen it recently?

They closed it in one direction during the daytime at the start of this year for several weeks, including full weekend closures. Even with all that time to work on it they still did a shoddy job of patching it up in any way that provides a smooth surface to drive/ride over (imagine riding over the top of a lego brick with metal rivets protruding everywhere). Pieces of the roofing felt surface are already falling off exposing the plywood again. You'd think in today's modern society they might be able to find a surface which is lightweight and can stand up to a few buses going over it each day (even HGVs are banned from driving over it so doesn't have that excuse!)

Give it another 6 months and a winter and it will not look much better than it did before they closed it at the start of this year!

Up until November I'd been riding over it every day for two years. I've never felt it was too bad. The surface layer us shallow so when it peels off you don't get deep potholes with hard edges and the rivets are easily avoided.

They had a contra flow in place in September whilst they did some work on patches and I though the result was ok. I certainly never had to swerve to avoid a yawning chasm like I've had to do on Putney Bridge.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Yes - Putney Br is the only bridge I've been over where I've thought I might be able to look down and see the river...

rower63

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

Yes - Putney Br is the only bridge I've been over where I've thought I might be able to look down and see the river...

Plus I've seen potholes appear between shoulder-checking and looking back again