Hammersmith Bridge closed: Motor traffic:10th April 2019; Completely:13th August 2020

A head of steam is certainly building up for Bridge repairs, especially as winter approaches, but it remains to be seen whether this will translate into action.

After much media/social media coverage, including stories on London TV news, a task force was set up on 9 September, chaired by Baroness Vere (roads minister), which includes representatives of the local councils, TfL and Network Rail (for their experience of cast iron bridges), the Port of London Authority and GLA. The task force’s project director is Dana Skelley, a chartered civil engineer, formerly director of roads for London and responsible for the London-wide roads modernisation ahead of the London Olympics and the repairs to Hammersmith Flyover.

Completing the full repair of the Bridge is currently predicted to cost £141-£163m, with stabilisation just to allow safe pedestrian and river traffic at £46m, considerably more than first envisaged.  We covered the announcement of a temporary pedestrian/cycle bridge in April, which is believed to have been costed at less than £10m.  Before lockdown, planning was to be sought for this during the summer with construction starting this autumn, but this has not happened.  We followed up in June with our ideas about widening the pathways while work progresses elsewhere, making the bridge suitable for safe bidirectional cycling and walking; these are also clearly ideas yet to be considered given the new circumstances of complete closure.

Neither the Council nor TfL can finance costs at this level, so government support is essential. The possibility of tolls to finance the work has not been ruled out, indeed some are campaigning for this to make more funds available to speed up the work.

The closure to pedestrians, cyclists and to navigation impacts children needing to get to school and now facing long detours, people needing to access Charing Cross Hospital from Barnes, and even the prospects of next year’s Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Barnes residents have been very active on social media highlighting the problems they face with the bridge closure, but Hammersmith residents are also significantly affected.

H&F Council are reported to be looking into ferry options, though ferries would only be able to operate at high tides, as at low tides the water level is too low for ferries to operate riverbank to riverbank as clearly illustrated in the photo above.  We have suggested amphibious vehicles in this instance.   Ferries etc could be a help for schoolchildren but would not solve the congestion of traffic diverted to Chiswick, Putney and Wandsworth bridges.

Chairman Richard Winterton has written to Baroness Vere to add our voice to the huge concern of communities on both sides of the river, and to urge speedy action for a pedestrian and cycle crossing followed by a definitive programme of repair work to the Bridge, starting as soon as practicable.  At the date of this writing, a statement from the task force is promised.

Follow #HammersmithBridge on Twitter and Hammersmith Bridge Closure group on Facebook for the day-by-day updates, to which we also contribute.