Thames Towpath repair to cost millions and take 7 months
Current image from Richmond Council showing the breach in the path
Richmond Council says the collapsed bank, which has closed the Thames towpath since the October 19th, will require a “significant amount ” of time and money to repair and won’t be completed until next summer.
Cllr. Alexander Ehmann, the chair of the council’s Transport Committee says that its engineers have been working with specialist contractors and have concluded that a temporary repair to reopen the path quickly isn’t possible.
The difficulty of working on the riverbank which floods regularly, means the work will take months to complete and he thinks will be a “multi-million pound repair”. In the meantime to path will remain closed.
The deterioration of the riverbank since the breach occurred is obvious when you compare the current image above with one taken soon after it happened in October.
Image of the same location taken at the end of October 2024.
It’s thought the collapse was caused by a combination of high river levels, high winds and torrential rain.
Safety fencing has been put across the path some distance from either end of the affected section and the council is asking residents and visitors not to go beyond it.
The path remains closed
Speaking on the council’s update, Cllr. Ehmann said that repairs are expected to start in early 2025 with the “aspiration” that the towpath can be reopened by next summer.
Before that there will be emergency work to further reduce the damage to the river bank.
The council is also liaising with the Environment Agency, Port of London Authority, National Trail and the Royal Mid Surrey Golf Club to assess solutions and minimise further impact to the public.
Diversions remain in place and can be seen on Richmond Council’s website here.
The Port of London Authority has issued an alert to river traffic in Syon Reach, warning of navigation hazards and reduced depths because of debris washed into the main channel. The notice runs until 31 December 2024.
The Kew Society’s previous update is here
