Thames Bridges in Crisis: London Assembly Revisits Five Years of Maintenance Failures

The London Assembly Transport Committee returned to one of London's most persistent infrastructure problems on 3 November 2026, convening at City Hall to examine what progress had been made on Thames road bridge maintenance since its landmark 2021 report. Five years on, Hammersmith Bridge and Albert Bridge remained closed to vehicle traffic, while Tower Bridge, Richmond Bridge, and Vauxhall Bridge were all operating under 18-tonne weight restrictions, limiting the vehicles that could use them. Environmental factors are accelerating the deterioration of structures built primarily in the 19th century for far lighter traffic loads. Hammersmith Bridge's closure stemmed from micro-fractures in cast-iron pedestals, described as "most likely caused by a heatwave," while Richmond Bridge's decline was attributed to "weathering, water ingress, temperature fluctuations and exposure to the tidal river environment" — with more frequent extreme weather events expected to worsen structural deterioration further. The committee heard from a range of experts, including Simon Latham of the City Bridge Foundation, representatives from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and Satbir Gill of the London Technical Advisors Group. Media and members of the public were invited to attend, with the session also available via webcast and YouTube.