Major Blackfriars Bridge refurb set to resume

The current Blackfriars Bridge was opened by Queen Victoria in November 1869

Planned works to the complete the refurbishment of Blackfriars Bridge will start in late October.

The City Bridge Foundation, which owns the bridge, will spend just under £10.8m to repair and paint more than 2,000 cast iron balusters, to restore it to "its Victorian splendour".

Chair of the City Bridge Foundation, Deputy Paul Martinelli, said the renovation would be "carried out at no cost to the taxpayer", with the crossing not having to be shut to traffic.

Work is due to start on 22 October and run to 21 October in 2027, with a possible extension to 2028.

Work on the first phase of the 156-year-old bridge was finished in 2023

The initial refurbishment to restore the 156-year-old bridge was finished in 2023, but the final work was delayed until the Tideway super sewer project was completed.

Phase one focussed on repairing and restoring the cast iron balusters, and repainting two of the bridge's spans.

The next stage will complete these works, including gilding embellishments where appropriate.

Mr Martinelli said this would "not only improve its appearance, but also protect the structure of the bridge and extend its lifespan".

As with the first refurbishment, there will not be significant closures to carriageways or footways, although there may be occasional off-peak lane closures for deliveries, according to the foundation.

The Blackfriars Railway Bridge will be unaffected by the upgrade.

The A201 runs over the crossing, which also has a cycle superhighway and footpaths for pedestrians

The City Bridge Foundation has awarded phase two of the works to Taziker Industrial, the same engineering firm that worked on the first stage, in partnership with with FM Conway and Alltask.

Blackfriars, Tower, Southwark, Millennium and London Bridge are all owned by the the City Bridge Foundation, which until 2023 was called the Bridge Houses Estate charity.

The charity was set up in the late 11th Century as a way to maintain the city's first crossing, London Bridge.

Blackfriars Bridge was the third bridge to be built in central London after London Bridge and Westminster Bridge

The current Blackfriars Bridge, which connects Southwark to the City, is the second crossing to have been built on the site.

It was the third to be built in central London after London Bridge and Westminster Bridge and was first known as Pitt Bridge after William Pitt the Elder, who was prime minister from 1766 until 1768.

It was subsequently dismantled before being rebuilt in the 1860s and then widened in 1909.

On average, about 15,500 motor vehicles used the crossing each day in 2021, according to government figures.