The new Waterlink Way bridge over the River Pool is due to be lifted into place in the week of 26 October, with opening expected mid-November after months of delay.

The new bridge on the Waterlink Way is due to be lifted into place in the week beginning Monday 26 October. Lewisham Council expects it to open to walkers and cyclists in mid-November.

The council gave the timetable in an update on 16 October. It replaces an old wooden bridge over the River Pool on the Waterlink Way, the walking and cycling path that follows the Pool and Ravensbourne rivers through the borough.

What happens next

The council says:

  • work on the western side of the bridge is complete, and landscaping there is under way
  • the permanent bridge will be delivered and lifted into place in the week beginning 26 October
  • after that, the temporary bridge at Winsford Road will be removed and the eastern side landscaped
  • those final works should take two to three weeks
  • the new bridge is expected to open in mid-November

The council will only confirm an opening date “once the bridge has been successfully installed”.

Months later than planned

The replacement was originally expected to be quick. Lewisham Cyclists, which campaigned for years for a new bridge, told members in its January 2026 newsletter that the work would take 12 weeks, with a diversion signed from February.

The group said the old bridge had subsided, was “becoming hazardous and difficult to ride over”, and was too narrow for people walking and cycling to share comfortably.

The council’s own updates since then show how the date slipped:

  • 31 July: Thames Water asked for extra work to protect one of its pipes. The council said this would add three to four weeks, but the bridge was “still on track to be delivered by late summer” (update).
  • 2 September: a damaged Thames Water pipe was found during the works. The council said it was not caused by the bridge project but had to be repaired first, and specialist parts would take up to three weeks to arrive. It moved the reopening to November (update).
  • 16 October: the lift is booked for the week of 26 October, with opening expected mid-November.
Timeline of the Waterlink Way bridge replacement: January 2026, Lewisham Cyclists says work will take 12 weeks with a diversion from February; 31 July, Thames Water asks for extra pipe protection, three to four weeks' delay, still due late summer; 2 September, damaged Thames Water pipe found, parts up to three weeks, reopening moved to November; week of 26 October, new bridge to be lifted into place; mid-November, expected opening
How the Waterlink Way bridge date moved. Sources: Lewisham Council updates of 31 July, 2 September and 16 October 2026; Lewisham Cyclists newsletter, January 2026. Graphic by Lewisham News
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What it means for you

  • The route stays closed at the bridge until opening. Keep using the signed diversion. Lewisham Cyclists described it in January as running along Perry Hill and Catford Hill, then back onto the Waterlink Way through the small park on Catford Hill to the Catford Bridge underpass.
  • Mid-November is an estimate, not a date. The council has said it will confirm the opening once the bridge is in. We will update this story when it does.
  • The temporary bridge at Winsford Road goes after the lift. The council has not said whether that crossing will close before the new bridge opens.

For other closures around the borough, see our roadworks and travel page.

Sources