Work on Temple Bridge set to progress after £500,000 investment secured

Work to re-open the long-closed Temple Bridge is progressing following news of a significant six-figure financial investment.

The bridge has been closed to the public since May 2023 when surveyors from the Environment Agency stated that it had ‘deteriorated faster than expected’.

Since then, concerns and frustrations have been raised, not only about the 'dangerous' diversion route which leads walkers onto a 'very narrow' 60mph road, but also the speed of the repairs.

Walkers on the Thames Path are currently diverted along Temple Lane to cross over the River Thames at Marlow Bridge. 

In August last year, calls were made to speed up works to re-open the popular River Thames footbridge between Marlow and Hurley.

Now the EA has revealed that £500,000 has been secured to progress work on both Temple Bridge and Marsh Lock Horsebridge in Henley-on-Thames.

The agency is currently in the process of setting up a contract with supplier which is being planned for this year.

After having initially written to the EA to call for action to speed up work on the bridge in September last year, Maidenhead MP Josh Reynolds met with EA bosses in March to discuss the progress.

In a recent update to Mr Reynolds, seen by the Advertiser, a member of the EA team confirmed that it had secured investment to develop ‘either outline designs, outline business cases or other vital initial milestones that can be used to facilitate the acquisition of partnership funding’.

The Maidenhead MP said: “The bridge has been closed for too long already, but the fact that we’ve now been able to secure that £500,000 funding to be able to support Temple Bridge is really important.”

He added that the plans for how the money will be used is a ‘good start’ in helping to press national Government for further financial support and resources to aid in getting the bridge re-opened.

Mr Reynolds said he aims to have another meeting with the EA at the end of this month to discuss progress and timescales.

In November, the EA revealed that as part of its ongoing work, it would be ‘carefully removing’ the central section of the bridge to ‘ensure there is no risk to river users beneath it and to allow further examination of it’.

As part of this, the agency said that boaters will not be able to travel under this section until it has been removed.

The recommendation to remove the central section came after an intrusive survey in October last year, which was supported by a visual survey using a drone in March this year.

While this is a ‘significant piece of work’, it is not part of the overall project of refurbishment.

The agency has said it is in the final stages of the tender process on the central section and is aiming to complete the removal ‘by the end of the year’.

Additional activities on the river during the winter of 2024-25 were not possible due to the ‘unsuitable and unsafe river conditions’, the agency revealed. 

These conditions also had an impact on attempts to carry out earlier investigations after the initial bridge closure in 2023.

The EA has conducted supplementary surveys to help determine the scope of the refurbishment works, which will address all the structural problems that have been found.

The project team met on Thursday, April 24 and will update river users once a project programme has been ‘identified and developed’.

An Environment Agency spokesperson, said: “Temple Bridge has exceeded its design life and is no longer safe to use.

“We recognise that the uniqueness and complexity of the bridge’s design make it an iconic feature on the Thames but also that it holds significant value for the local community; we will explore all potential design options for its replacement."

“We are in the final stages of the tender process on the central section of the bridge and for safety reasons, boaters will not be able to navigate beneath this central section until it has been fully removed, which we aim to complete by the end of the year.

“We are aware of the urgency of this matter and are treating it as a priority.”

The EA were contacted for further comment.