Article from The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Website.
Albert Bridge
Albert Bridge is beautiful but it is not strong. Even when it was opened in 1873 soldiers were instructed to break step when crossing it. The bridge is a fragile cast iron structure with timber decking built like so many other London bridges for horses and carriages. It was never designed to take the day to day punishment of thousands of motorists on their daily commute. Around 58 million vehicles cross the bridge every year.
Today, it has a weight limit of 2.5 tonnes but it is deteriorating fast and if we do not carry out major restoration it will, in time, have to be closed, permanently.
The bridge was closed to traffic on 15 February 2010 for approximately 18 months for major strengthening and refurbishment.
For more info click on the link below:
http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/newsroom/councilstatements/albertbridgeclosure.aspx.
