Broadmead Road Bridge

Detailed inspections, including a Principal Inspection, hammer tapping, and concrete testing, have revealed critical issues such as cracks, falling concrete, chloride contamination, and carbonation.

A comprehensive inspection report published in July 2025 provided a range of options for Redbridge Cabinet to consider. The preferred option was for soil reinforced approach wall ramps and a new single span bridge over the Central Line.

The Council continues to work closely with stakeholders, including Transport for London, Emergency Services, neighbouring boroughs and is consistently lobbying the Department for Transport for the essential funding needed to address this critical infrastructure challenge. The Infrastructure Fund provides the opportunity to fund the repairs for the bridge needed to develop the wider area and introduce growth to the North East of London.

The Council is undertaking quarterly inspections to monitor the bridge as per the management of sub-standard bridges process.

Key facts

• £25m works cost for the preferred option. Additional unknown costs relating to utility provision and diversions and TfL Central Line closure and rail replacement services.
• Approximately 15000 vehicles are being affected daily, either not making the journeys or being stuck in diversionary traffic, severely impacting upon the economy.
• We do not know how long the bridge has left to stand, the Council is undertaking quarterly inspections of the bridge.
• Should the bridge collapse, this will impact hundreds of thousands of journeys on the Central Line that the entire North East of London need to get into and out of London.
• There is critical utility infrastructure that runs through the bridge which may leave residents without power, broadband, and gas.
• Redbridge is the 4th lowest funded London borough, and the 11th most deprived, self-funding the bridge will mean reducing funding on other critical services its residents are most in need of.
• Emergency services are facing lengthy diversions, impacting emergency response times due to the closure of the bridge.

Redbridge Council is moving forward with plans to replace Broadmead Road Bridge, a key piece of infrastructure in the borough that connects Woodford with the rest of the Borough and beyond.

The decision follows a detailed options appraisal presented to Cabinet, which identified full replacement as the most effective long-term solution. Councillors also agreed to work with Transport for London and Central Government to seek the use of the £1 billion infrastructure fund or to continue to meet to ensure alternative funding can be provided to get the bridge rebuilt.

The existing bridge, which has reached the end of its design life, has been subject to ongoing monitoring and maintenance but now need replacing. This will also improve access for pedestrians and cyclists.

Councillor Kam Rai, Leader of Redbridge Council, said: “This decision made by the cabinet – to demolish the existing bridge and build a new one that would support cars, buses and heavy vehicles - is an enormous milestone for the council. We now have an “oven-ready” plan and business case, in the form of the options report presented to us by our specialist contractors. We will now present this to government and our partners to garner their support. We have impressed, and will continue to impress, both the strategic and local importance of this bridge to government for their support in re-opening the road.

“I really understand the frustration and the pain caused by the closure of the bridge to-date, and I feel it important to re-iterate that. Your ward councillors and I were also regular users of the bridge and understand the disruption it causes locally. We, as much as anyone else, want to see a long-term solution delivered quickly and we are committed to doing just that.”

Cabinet papers have been published and are viewable online. They include the options for the bridge which are being put to Cabinet, including the preferred option.

The cabinet meeting will take place on 17 July 2025, and at this meeting Cabinet will decide on the option to take forward, in order to bring the bridge back into use.

We will update this website on 18 July with the decision.

Councillor Kam Rai, Leader of Redbridge Council, said, “I was really pleased that Monday’s meeting was such a well-attended and constructive conversation. I promised in November that our next meeting on Broadmead would be held in person, and it was all the more meaningful because of it.

“I hope it was clear to everyone that this issue truly matters to us. Reopening the bridge is a huge priority for us, and we’re committed to making it happen as soon as possible.

"The presentation is available to view online, and we’ll continue to update this web page in the coming days and weeks. As for what happens next, the good news is that we have a preferred option and a deliverable plan in place, and cabinet will meet on 17th July to agree our way forward.

“Understandably, the question on most people’s lips is how long will this take. While we can’t give a definitive answer yet, we’re doing everything we can to get the bridge repaired and the road open as soon as possible. There’s no getting around that this is a hugely complex engineering and financial challenge, and one that will take time to get right. We are making good progress and we will continue to keep everybody updated.”

View the presentation slides from the meeting

Redbridge Council welcomes the Government’s announcement of a new £1 billion Structures Fund as a timely and strategic investment in the country’s transport infrastructure.

We are engaging proactively with government to make the case for Broadmead Road Bridge to be included in the fund’s early allocations. Our technical work is nearing completion, and we will shortly present a preferred option to Cabinet and to our residents that offers long-term safety, value for money, and resilience for the local community and services that run over the bridge.

The closure of the bridge continues to impact residents, businesses and emergency services. Replacing it remains a priority for the borough. While we are proud of our track record on delivery and efficiency, the cost of full replacement is simply beyond the council’s financial capacity.

We believe the Structures Fund is a clear opportunity to secure the bridge’s future and restore this vital connection.

We look forward to working with government and our local MPs when further details of this fund are revealed.

Please also remember that a public information session is being held on Monday 30 June at 6pm at James Hawkey Hall. For more information, please see our post from 28 May.

Councillor Kam Rai, Leader of Redbridge Council, has written to residents with an update on Broadmead Road Bridge, and invites local people to an information session on 30 June.

"As your neighbours, we know how important it is to be kept informed and involved, as this is our borough and our home. Therefore, we are organising a session in the coming weeks to update you on the progress. This session will be held on Monday, 30 June at 6pm at James Hawkey Hall. Owing to capacity restraints at Hawkey Hall, please be aware that if the venue reaches full capacity, we may not be able to admit everyone. We will publish the presentation and a summary of the discussion on Let’s Talk Redbridge after the event, so everyone can stay informed and engaged."

Read the full letter

We continue to work to resolve the future of Broadmead Road Bridge. We are in direct dialogue with Government ministers, making the case for investment from central Government based on the bridge’s strategic role in connecting our borough, in bridging the central line, and on the continued impact of its closure.

The technical report has now been received by the Council. To ensure transparency and keep residents and neighbouring communities informed, the full report is available in the documents section of this website, with a less-technical executive summary of the report.

Intensive work has been carried out by specialist engineers to assess the structure of Broadmead Bridge. We have previously informed you of the detailed concrete testing and the Principal Inspection that has been undertaken, and the results of this work.

The technical report

In addressing a structure like Broadmead Road Bridge, we are required to move through specific analysis and reporting stages. This enables us to assess the deterioration of the bridge’s key parts and calculate the load the bridge can bear.

The most recent stage involved commissioning engineers to calculate the load the bridge can currently take to keep people safe. This was complex work, which was carried out by AtkinsRéalis. They used the concrete testing work, geometric surveys and scans, and recorded defects from inspection reports. They have also calculated the load the bridge was designed to take at its original construction 87 years ago.

Findings in summary

• The bridge can support the current use by pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, subject to no further deterioration.
• The bridge cannot safely support cars or heavy vehicles in its current condition.
• The closure of the bridge to vehicular traffic must remain in place.

Fuller detail are available in the summary report and the full report

Next steps

• The structure will continue to be monitored for safety reasons.
• We are working with our specialist consultants on the Options Report which is due to be published in the coming months. This report will look at the options available to us, which could include repairing or rebuilding the bridge. It will also provide high level designs and costings for the options.
• Once we have the options from the engineers, a decision will be taken by elected Councillors, in public, on the way forward.
• In the meantime, we will continue to prioritise our fight for funding.

What else have we been doing?

We have been intensively working to push central Government for the funding that will be needed to repair or replace the bridge as required.

Lobbying work has included writing to, and meeting, ministers and officers right at the top of the UK Government. We are, with a partnership group (including emergency services) urgently requesting support and are stressing the importance of this structure to local people, and the impact its closure is having on the community in Redbridge.

We truly understand the impact this is having on local people, school children and teachers, local businesses and everyone who needs to travel across this part of the borough. We live and work in Redbridge and share your frustration that we are not yet in receipt of the funding required to bring this bridge back into use.

We’d like to thank you for your ongoing patience and for supporting us in our urgent calls for funding. We will update you again upon receipt of the formal options report.

We continue to work to resolve the future of Broadmead Road Bridge. The high-level options report and full technical report are expected shortly. As soon as we receive them, we will publish both in full, alongside clear summaries, to ensure transparency and keep residents and neighbouring communities informed.

Our public affairs and lobbying work is well established. We are in direct dialogue with government ministers, making the case for national investment based on the bridge’s strategic role and the sustained impact of its closure.

We are working closely with neighbouring boroughs and key organisations through our dedicated working group to ensure a joined-up response. In parallel, we are developing a funding strategy, exploring all potential outcomes and funding sources to ensure we are ready to act.

We are committed to working with government, the Greater London Authority, our partners and the community to deliver a safe and lasting solution. Our next update will include the reports and a full summary of what they mean for next steps.

This is the latest update on the Broadmead Road Bridge.

The top priority is to ensure we have a safe bridge that can be used by pedestrians and vehicles. Currently the bridge cannot have vehicles crossing it.

We are finalising the technical report. This covers the detail about load capacity. We expect to be able to publish the report in early April which will now comprise both the structural load capacity as of right now and the structural load capacity as-built in 1937.

We are also developing an Options Report, setting out all solutions for the Bridge's future. This report will be published in late Spring 2025. This will include repair and protection or replacement options.

The Bridge cannot be reopened in its current state and we are dedicated to finding a safe and sustainable solution.

We will provide another update in March.

The links to the summary report, Principal Inspection and Concrete Testing reports in the "documents" section of this page on the right hand side and they can be found below:

Summary Update Report [4.1 mb]:Link

Principal Inspection Report [207 mb]: Link

Concrete Testing Report [39.1mb]:Link

• An overview of the Principal Inspection, Hammer Tapping, and Concrete Testing findings.
• Updates on the current status of works.
• Details of the future programme of works.

We hope this summary proves helpful, as the reports are highly detailed and complex.

In addition, the Council has completed the installation of replacement lamp columns on the bridge. These new aluminium columns are lighter and slightly smaller than the previous ones, allowing for manual installation since vehicles cannot access the bridge.

Hand-gritting of the road and footway on the bridge is being carried out at appropriate times of cold weather to ensure safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists using the bridge.

The Council is awaiting the first set of technical reports which will determine the current structural load capacity of the bridge which once received will be analysed and reported on through this page.

Links to the documents can be found in the "documents" section of this page on the right hand side and can be found below:

• Summary Update Report [4.1 mb]:Link
• Principal Inspection Report [207 mb]: Link
• Concrete Testing Report [39.1mb]:Link