Work at night to cut 18-month Albert Bridge closure, say residents

Lengthy timespan: residents believe repair work on Albert Bridge could be speeded up if more resources and workers were employed

People living next to Albert Bridge today hit out at its "outrageous" 18-month closure and called for work to be carried out round the clock.

They were backed by Transport for London, which said a 24-hour operation would minimise disruption.

But Kensington and Chelsea council, which is carrying out urgent strengthening work on the Victorian suspension bridge, said overnight repairs would be too noisy. Work began in February and is due to finish in August next year.

TfL is paying 75 per cent of the
£7.2 million cost — £5.4 million— with the council paying the rest.

The closure has led to severe disruption for motorists with frequent traffic jams in Chelsea and Battersea. About 58 million cars a year use the bridge.

The problem has been exacerbated by partial closures of three other Thames crossings — Southwark, Waterloo and Hammersmith bridges.

Some residents have accused transport bosses and contractors of taking too long over the work, claiming only a handful of workers are on site at once and that the job could be completed sooner if more resources were used.

Denis Strauss, 60, a TV producer who lives near the bridge in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, said work should continue at night and weekends so the bridge could re-open much sooner than planned.

He said: "It's outrageous that the bridge is closing for so long. You could build a new bridge in 18 months.

"What's annoying is that there's hardly anyone working there and they don't seem to be doing much. There should be more people. We would all like to see it finished more quickly."

Angelos Pervanas, 35, a finance manager, said work should continue at night, adding: "There's so much traffic noise coming from the embankment that there's no way you can hear building works anyway."

A TfL spokesman said: "We would welcome any efforts to minimise
disruption to Londoners. Twenty-four- hour working would reduce the
length of time the bridge is closed
and the disruption its closure is causing across inner south-west London."

A Kensington and Chelsea council spokesman said: "We considered if work should be allowed to continue at night or at the weekend, but felt that this would be unacceptable for residents on both sides of the bridge due to the noise and dust produced.

"The work is proceeding as planned and we expect it to be completed in the 18-month timescale."

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