Albert Bridge, one of the capital’s most iconic river crossings, may be closed to motorists for up to a year for repairs, the local authority has said.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council (RBKC) said the bridge is closed to traffic as a precaution while pedestrians and cyclists can cross safely.

During a routine inspection it said a council inspector found a cast iron component had cracked at one of the bridge abutments. While the bridge remains stable, sensors are continuously measuring the cracks on the broken component to check that its condition is not worsening.

Council engineers and contracted bridge experts are checking all the similar components to ensure there is not any other damage and establish why the crack has occurred. RBKC said it is bringing-in additional engineering expertise to act as an independent checker of both the external advice it has received and its own in-house engineering expertise.

So far, water has been pumped out to review submerged components and found no further visible damage. More detailed testing is ongoing using ultrasonic technology.

The council intends to fully reopen the bridge again to traffic as soon as possible. A full repair to the bridge can be completed within a year.  RBKC said it is looking at options to reopen the bridge with a temporary fix before the full repair is completed, but further exploratory work needs to be completed for this to be confirmed. 

A temporary traffic order will be in place to maintain the road closure – saying a closure of up to a year.

The council said this was not confirmation that the bridge would be closed for a year, but a “precaution” to ensure that, in the worst case scenario of a long running repair, other road authorities are aware of the closure and can work together to limit traffic impacts.

Johnny Thalassites, lead member for environment and planning, said: “The early advice we have had following initial investigations suggests that we may be able to complete a permanent fix within a year. In the meantime, the investigative work continues. We are working with experts to find out if there are options to employ a temporary fix which I hope to update on as soon as we have the analysis. Our ambition remains to get this bridge open as soon as possible.”

It represents the second major bridge in London – after Hammersmith Bridge – to be closed to motorists in recent years.

Albert Bridge is designed to move slightly, for example to accommodate a change in temperature or traffic. It was nicknamed “The Trembling Lady” shortly after it opened in 1873.

A weight restriction has been in place on the bridge since 1884. Since the 1990s this was managed through road layout and more recently, since January 2024, the council has been enforcing by issuing fixed penalty notices to drivers breaking the three-tonne limit on the bridge.

The capital’s bridges are managed by various owners. Seven are the responsibility of Transport for London, five by the Bridge House Estates trust and the others by eight individual boroughs, two of which are in Kensington and Chelsea.