Motorists face 18 months of misery after one of the major route across the River Thames from Battersea to Chelsea closed.
The Grade II-listed Albert Bridge shut on Monday to allow refurbishment work to take place with traffic being diverted across Chelsea Bridge and Battersea Bridge while the structure is renovated.
Kensington and Chelsea Council (K&C) said the work would strengthen the bridge to enable it to cope with modern demands.
A spokesman for K&C said: “The works will both refurbish and strengthen the bridge, keeping it looking as it is whilst making it better able to cope with the demands of the twenty-first century.
“Amongst the refurbishment work will be removal of all the paint on the bridge and repainting of the whole bridge, putting in new, more efficient, lights, refurbishing the toll booth and relaying the entire roadway of the bridge.”
The work is being carried out by K&C in conjunction with Transport for London.
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