Eight years later, East Putney bridges work begins next week

The two grimy railway bridges at East Putney station are finally getting their long-overdue makeover, with works starting on 2 March after an eight-year wait.

Wandsworth Council, working with Network Rail and Transport for London, will deep-clean, repaint and pigeon-proof both bridges over approximately 40 nights of work. The team will also jet-wash the brickwork and add ‘East Putney’ signage to the exterior of both structures. A rendered image on the council’s announcement shows the bridges emerging bright and colourful once complete.

The works are scheduled overnight, between 10pm and 5am, to keep disruption to a minimum. A single lane will be closed with temporary traffic signals in place, but the road stays open throughout. No weekend working is planned.

The project is funded by developer contributions, with the council saying it comes at no cost to local taxpayers.

Cabinet Member for Transport Jenny Yates said: “These improvements will make a real difference for everyone travelling through East Putney. This investment is part of our Decade of Renewal, improving and refurbishing roads, pavements and bridges — all part of our commitment to making Wandsworth an even better place to live, work, and spend time.”

The council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Angela Ireland, told the Finance Committee last week that claims of no council investment reaching Putney are “simply not true”, pointing to Putney Leisure Centre as her evidence. As we reported in October, the leisure centre refurbishment is funded by a £3.85 million government green grant, not the council’s own capital budget. When we asked for a breakdown of the grant in September, the council refused, calling the information “commercially sensitive.” The government published it anyway in December.

The bridges have been a long-running frustration. As we reported in January, the wait stretches back to October 2016, when Wandsworth’s cabinet first pledged improvements to the Upper Richmond Road area. The works are part of a borough-wide programme that already delivered a £5m transformation of the Falcon Road underpass at Clapham Junction, launched in December 2025.

Elsewhere in the borough, Wandsworth Town station is also finally seeing action: a £20m accessibility upgrade is now under construction, bringing lifts to all platforms and a new entrance at Odyssey Way, another project that took years to get moving.