A Grade-II listed bridge nicknamed ‘The Trembling Lady’ has reopened to pedestrians and cyclists after it was shut due to movement in the structure.

Albert Bridge, which was closed to cars earlier this year due to a part of the bridge cracking, closed to pedestrians and bikes as well on Wednesday afternoon after sensors picked up small movement.

Andrew Burton, the director of highways at Kensington and Chelsea council, which is responsible for the 153-year-old bridge, said: ‘We’re sorry for the inconvenience the temporary closure caused to pedestrians and cyclists.

‘It was a necessary decision so we could monitor the bridge and ensure the extra movement we were seeing didn’t put people at risk.

‘Our top priority is safety and protecting the bridge for the future, so it’s important that we act when our sensors pick up any change.

‘We have a temporary solution coming in very soon which will stabilise the damaged component and help reduce the need for further closures for pedestrians and cyclists.’

The borough said previously it intends to fully repair and reopen Albert Bridge to traffic.

Repairs are estimated to cost £8.5 million and can take around 12 months, leading residents fearful it will follow in the footsteps of Hammersmith Bridge.

Residents living near Albert Bridge said while they welcomed the ban for cars, the bridge being closed completely was a headache.

A pensioner, who has lived in Chelsea for 30 years, told WTX after the full closure: ‘The full closure is a pain in the arse. When you walk across it, the bridge vibrates anyway. It vibrates, there is no question. The closure came out of the blue. Everyone is asking why the council has done this.

‘One of the great joys was to cross without traffic, air was so clean and it was lovely. It is difficult for people who have to cross the bridge a lot, and they don’t want to go to Chelsea bridge.’

Michael Stephen, the vice chair of The Chelsea Society and a local resident, told WTX how a full closure caused serious disruption, with the nearest alternative bridges – Chelsea and Battersea – often gridlocked.

‘It is virtually impossible to get to the other side at the moment. I cross around three times a week, and it takes an hour to travel across. It used to take five minutes,’ he said before the crossing was reopened.

Marsha de Cordova, the MP for Battersea, told WTX: ‘The closure of the Albert Bridge has caused immense disruption, distress and difficulties for my constituents in Battersea, as well as increasing delays on other bridges and roads in Battersea.’

She urged the council to work quickly to work out a solution and to make sure residents are kept up to date about the schedule for reopening.

Locals said they feared that the motor traffic ban on Albert and Hammersmith bridge would make the roads busier due to more vehicles being pushed towards other bridges in the city.

However, latest data shows that volume of cars reduced between 2018 and 2024 on Putney, Wandsworth, Battersea, Chelsea, and Chiswick bridges, despite the 2019 closure of Hammersmith.

Some WTX readers have previously said the troubled Victorian bridges should be opened for light traffic only, while others called for them to be replaced entirely.

Martin Sloman said: ‘Why not allow these bridges to enjoy their retirement with people walking, cycling and on the occasional horse? Surely closer to their original purpose.’

Martin Reynolds said: ‘Take them down and build a modern reincarnation of these bridges that suits the character, yes they’re lovely to look at, but bridges are there to serve a purpose.’

Simon Munk, the head of campaigns at London Cycling Campaign, told WTX: ‘Whatever happens next, London is massively overdue a grown-up conversation about all bridges and tunnels across the River Thames.

‘We have a double whammy of a lack of cycling and walking crossings in London and loads of ageing tunnels that were not built for the amount of traffic they carry.’

Instead of fighting over the future of individual Victorian bridges and crossings, the focus needs to be on finding a solution for commercial traffic, buses and cycling, he said.

He continued: ‘What we have now clearly doesn’t work as we are spending millions on individual assets.

‘What is going to be next? Rotherhithe, which already has plans to close for a while, or Tower Bridge?’

The history of Albert Bridge

The 710-foot bridge has faced trouble since its early days, soon after opening in 1873 as a toll bridge.

Sir Joseph Bazalgette designed the bridge for the needs of Victorian Londoners trundling on horse-drawn carriages and carts.

But engineers first detected corrosion in the iron rods in 1884.

Despite improvements, a five-tonne weight limit was enforced after concerns by Sir Joseph.

In 1935, the weight limit was tightened to two tonnes, roughly the average weight of a modern SUV.

However, the bridge continued to show signs of wear and tear, and a traffic island limiting larger vehicles was installed in 1990, followed by further improvements in the early 2010s.

This article was first published on April 9.