London Assembly Transport Committee Scrutinises State of Thames Bridges

The London Assembly Transport Committee convened on 3 November 2026 at 10 am to revisit the condition of London's Thames road bridges, five years after its original 2021 investigation. Several crossings remain under weight restrictions or closed entirely: Hammersmith Bridge and Albert Bridge are both closed to vehicles, while Tower Bridge, Richmond Bridge, and Vauxhall Bridge carry 18-tonne weight limits. The committee took evidence from Simon Latham (Managing Director, City Bridge Foundation), Andrew Burton (Director of Highway and Regulatory Services, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea), Satbir Gill (Chairman, London Technical Advisors Group), and Mark Averill (Interim Assistant Director Highways, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham). The hearing examined the root causes of deterioration — including climate extremes, age, and underinvestment — and scrutinised the pace of remediation work since 2021. Officials noted that increasing weather extremes are expected to accelerate structural decay; the micro-fractures in Hammersmith Bridge's cast iron pedestals that led to its 2019 closure were described as "most likely" caused by a heatwave.