Keeping up the pressure on Transport for London to minimise Tower Bridge disruption
December 8, 2008 12:00 PM
In the last few months, I have been working closely with locally elected councillors, Anood Al-Samerai, Eliza Mann and Nick Stanton, to ensure that the refurbishment of Tower Bridge is undertaken with as little disruption to local residents as possible.
In July this year, I wrote to Peter Hendy, the Commissioner of Transport for London, to propose a solution to help residents during the period Tower Bridge will be closed. I have now heard back from Peter Hendy and he tells me that all parties involved are clear that a lengthy closure of the bridge would be unacceptable. I am very pleased to hear that Peter Hendy states that, should a full closure of the bridge be unavoidable, Tfl will explore a range of options, including my suggestion of a ferry service across the river for pedestrians and cyclists.
At present, the plans for the refurbishment of Tower Bridge are in four non-continuous phases which will take place up to April 2011:
Phase 1 is the painting of the suspension chains and underside of the fixed bridge section between the southern tower and the south side. Phase 1 is currently underway and due for completion in January 2009.
Similarly, phase 2 is the painting of the chains and underside between the northern tower and the northern side. Phase 2 is scheduled to commence in August 2009 and last for between six to seven months.
Phase 3 is the work to the high-level walkways. This phase is currently scheduled for summer 2010.
Finally, it is expected that Phase 4 will consist of two parts. Between December 2010 and January 2011, the Bridge will be closed to river traffic at all times but the bridge will remain open to traffic and pedestrians. Part 2 of phase 4 is scheduled to involve the full closure of the bridge to pedestrians, traffic and river traffic. However, Peter Hendy tells me that there is some doubt as to how phase 4 will be undertaken as the full closure of the bridge will involve considerable inconvenience to all who use Tower Bridge and live in the surrounding areas.
I have now written again to Peter Hendy to keep up the pressure on Tfl to find proper and helpful alternative arrangements in the event that Tower Bridge will be completely closed. I have asked for an update on discussions between Tfl and the Corporation of London on the timing of the works. In this letter, I reiterate the fact that the works to Tower Bridge must be undertaken with a minimal amount of disruption to my constituents.
The response to my survey has been very positive and up to now, I have had 81 responses which indicate that in the event that the bridge has to be closed, a ferry service for pedestrians and cyclists will be widely used. These results also indicate that an alternative route for drivers across London Bridge which is exempt from the congestion charge is an issue to be strongly considered. If you have not already done so, please complete the survey using the link below. Your views on this issue will continue to be extremely useful.
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