An extra £245m is being invested into London’s ageing transport infrastructure over the next five years, to repair several key tunnels and bridges.
An extra £245m is being invested into London’s ageing transport infrastructure over the next five years, to repair several key tunnels and bridges.
This investment, reported in advance of the 11th December meeting by New Civil Engineer, comes as TfL themselves report that two-fifths of the bridges and structures maintained in the capital are either in poor or very poor condition.
The extra funding is focused on three main routes; Rotherhithe Tunnel, Gallows Corner Flyover and the A40 Westway, all of which already have travel and transport restrictions on them.
Rotherhithe Tunnel has banned large and heavy goods vehicles since December 2019, the A40 Westway has reduced the speed limit to 30mph and several restrictions are also on the Gallow Corner Flyover and its supporting roads.
This critical repair work intends to avoid more road closures in London after the full closure of Hammersmith Bridge for emergency repair works, as under-investment in infrastructure repair made the bridge dangerous to cross.
A three-year repair programme is currently in effect to ensure the major bridge across the River Thames is fit for purpose.
Tunnels and bridges require constant maintenance and repairs, as the stakes for a failing bridge or tunnel could be potentially significant.
Much of the infrastructure in London is over a century old, designed for an era before the constant and consistent car traffic that has since become common in London.
According to a research paper on underground structure repair, one of the most common reasons for tunnel repairs is the continued reliance on structures that have far exceeded their life expectancy and are repaired to provide a short term solution.