Environment Agency extends River Thames closure at Temple Bridge

The River Thames closure at a long-closed bridge in Hurley has been extended to provide additional time to complete the central span removal works. 

Last month, the Environment Agency confirmed that work to remove the 20-metre central section of Temple Bridge would begin on Monday, September 29, with all work expected to be complete by Friday, October 10.

During this time the River Thames at Temple Bridge would be closed to all river users. 

However, this closure has since been extended to Friday, October 17, to allow more time for the work to be completed.

On its Engage Environment Agency website, the EA said: “This is partly due to the impacts of Storm Amy and the overall risks associated with the lifting operation of a structure in poor condition.

“Our contractor requires additional time to ensure all aspects of the work can be carried out safely. 

“We appreciate this extended closure may inconvenience river users, and we will ensure the disruption is minimised, without compromising the safety of our staff, contractor, or customers.

“We have been working with commercial operators to minimise the disruption to them based on their individual requirements.”

The bridge first opened in 1989 and has been closed since May 2023, when EA surveyors said it had ‘deteriorated faster than expected’.

Since then, concerns have been voiced by councillors, community figures and Maidenhead’s MP Josh Reynolds over the speed at which the repairs are being carried out and the ‘dangerous’ diversion that takes walkers onto a ‘very narrow’ 60mph road.

The diversion sees walkers on the Thames Path go along Temple Lane to cross over the River Thames at Marlow Bridge.

This summer, the EA revealed that £500,000 has been secured to be equally split to progress work on Temple Bridge and Marsh Lock Horsebridge in Henley-on-Thames.

In an interview with the Advertiser in May, Peter Collins, an EA operations manager for the Thames area, apologised for the delays and said that the first phase of the long-term project was the removal of the central span.

Following its removal, the central section is set to be inspected, with the results helping to determine whether ‘refurbishment of the bridge is a viable option’, the Engage Environment Agency website said.

It added: “Due to the volume of tropical hardwood within the current bridge, as well as some design improvements that can be made, a major refurbishment might not be possible.”

The side sections of the bridge will remain in place, following the completion of the removal, and will be fenced off.

Mr Collins previously said that the EA did not yet know if the bridge needed replacing or refurbishing.

A replacement of the bridge could potentially cost around £2.5million.

Moving forward, the EA said it has secured more funding to progress with the outline design of a replacement or refurbished bridge, which should be finished by the end of March 2026.

“This design will be used to determine the next phase of design and construction. It will inform project cost estimates, our partnership funding strategy, and further communications.  

“We are also completing all necessary permits, including a temporary works design.  

“We are currently reviewing suitable government delivery frameworks to ensure the most appropriate contractor is identified,” the website added.

In May, Mr Collins did not reveal a date for when the bridge would re-open, due to timescales in obtaining the funding needed.