Opening date set for new Walton Bridge over Thames 29 June 2013 Last updated at 12:20 The first new road bridge over the River Thames for more than 20 years will open to traffic next month, Surrey County Council has said. Finishing touches are currently being made to the £32m Walton Bridge, linking Walton-on-Thames and Shepperton. Roads in the area have been gridlocked while construction has been under way and more closures will be needed before the opening on 22 July. The council said traffic delays were possible while the A244 was realigned. Overnight closures will take place in the lead up to the opening, with more between 5 August and 1 September to allow for work by Network Rail. The new bridge, described by the council as a landmark for the area, replaces two temporary bridges connecting Walton and Shepperton built when an earlier bridge was damaged in World War II. Major event The scheme was put on hold in the 2010 government spending review, but finally got the go-ahead later that year. Councillor John Furey said the bridge opening was a major event. "There has been some controversy," he said. There has even been a demand that a bishop bless it - the problem is that on one side of the bridge you have the Bishop of London and on the other side you have the Bishop of Guildford. The last new road bridge over the Thames opened in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, in 1993. The most recent in the London area was the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, part of the Dartford Crossing, which opened in 1991.