A key piece of work as part of London’s ‘super sewer’ has been completed at Putney Bridge.

A small tunnel that will connect a sewage overflow point under Putney Bridge to the new sewer – which is currently under construction to stop sewage overflowing into the river – was excavated over the past two months using a small digger called a pipe-jacking machine.

Now work is complete, Putney Bridge will be closed for 24 hours while a large crane is used from the south side of the bridge to remove the machine from the site.

The bridge will be closed from 04:00 on Sunday 2 February to 04:00am on Monday 3 February 2020 to allow this work to take place safely.

Putney project manager, David Miles, said: “This is a vital piece of our work at Putney to connect the old sewer system to the new tunnel, and marks a step towards a cleaner, healthier River Thames. We want to thank residents and road users for their patience as we complete this essential work.”

The southbound side of the bridge will be closed to general traffic, with alternative routes in place. Lower Richmond Road between Putney Bridge and the Embankment Road will be closed to eastbound traffic with local diversions in place.

The northbound side of the bridge will be open to traffic but restricted to one lane only so delays are expected.

Bus services in both directions will continue to operate with local diversions and some delays expected.

Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to use the bridge in both directions.

The closure will be lifted at 4.00am on Monday 3 February with the bridge re-opened to all traffic.

Please see this information sheet for more details and maps of the diversions.