The nearest bridge to London Bridge was,…
1750 CE
A bridge over the Thames at Westminster had been proposed in 1664, but opposed by the Corporation of London and the watermen.
Despite further opposition in 1722, and after a new timber bridge was built at Putney in 1729, the scheme received parliamentary approval in 1736.
Financed by private capital, lotteries and grants, Westminster Bridge, a road and foot traffic bridge designed by the Swiss architect Charles Labelye, was built between 1739–1750.
The bridge is required for traffic from the expanding West End to the developing South London as well as to south coast ports.
Without the bridge, traffic from the West End would have had to negotiate the congested routes to London Bridge such as the Strand and New Oxford Street.
Roads south of the river are also improved, including the junction at the Elephant & Castle in Southwark.