Government pledges £3million to repair Hammersmith Bridge two years after it closed to traffic

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Hammersmith Bridge is finally set to reopen to motorists after the government pledged £3million to repair the iconic 134-year-old structure two years after it closed to drivers. 

The Department for Transport has announced its one-third share of the money for restoration works to ‘stabilise the structure’ on the iconic west London bridge.  

The work, which started in February, is estimated to be completed in October and will include bearings being installed that will reinforce the vulnerable cast-iron structure. 

There has been some dispute between the Government, Transport for London (TfL) and local council officials over who will foot the eventual repair bill of an estimated £187m. 

But after Hammersmith and Fulham Council put up their funding, £8.9m investment, in December, work began, and the government has now put up £2.93 million. TfL is expected to follow suit with their share soon. 

An innovative solution would see a temporary two-layer structure installed above the current road level of the bridge, which would mean pedestrians will be able to cross the River Thames using the bottom layer, while road traffic will use the second level.

If this double decker solution is employed by engineers a total of £40m could be slashed from the project’s budget if it does get government approval. 

The 134-year-old cast-iron structure had been shut to traffic since April 2019, after engineers found cracks in its pedestals. When the crossing deteriorated further during a heatwave in August 2020, it led to it being closed to all users. 

The Victorian bridge, which used to carry 22,000 cars and 1,800 buses every day in 2015, was reopened to cyclists and pedestrians after safety checks found it was safe in 2021. 

As its main carriageway is closed, cyclists and e-scooter users have to dismount but is open to pedestrians. 

Hammersmith Bridge is one of the world’s oldest mechanical suspension bridges and is protected as a Grade II listed structure. 

It is understood this idea still needs to be approved by the Government. 

Previous government funding of £4 million went towards immediate mitigation works to the structure, which involved blast cleaning and inspections to its pedestals, helping ensure there were no long-term risks to its reopening.

The works – which began last month – were expedited after Hammersmith & Fulham Council decided in December to approve the £8.9m investment in full, in anticipation of the DfT and TfL subsequently agreeing to pay their shares.  

H&F Leader Cllr Stephen Cowan said: ‘I am determined to fix the bridge as speedily as possible. That’s why we took the initiative to begin the stabilisation works and to kickstart the full restoration project.’

He said earlier: ‘The government’s recommendation that we pay a third is unprecedented given that normally, bridges are paid for in London with TfL paying 85 per cent and outside of London, the Government paying 85 per cent of all and the county council, which in this case would be the Mayor of London, paying the top-up.

‘So, it is unusual therefore that we face a third charge to this.

‘So there has been a very sudden and rapid series of actions to identify the problems to begin to get those things fixed – this is Hammersmith & Fulham who are acting here, with this particular scheme. It will stabilise the bridge and guarantee that it won’t fall into the river.’

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: ‘Today, I’m giving Londoners reassurance this government will do everything in its power to keep this vital, historic structure open. 

‘We’re investing millions into its restoration, ensuring local residents can continue to cross the river by foot or bike and I look forward to working further with the local council on future works to reopen the bridge to motorists.’

The main carriageway on the bridge has been closed since 28 February 2022 when engineering works began to stabilise Hammersmith Bridge.

This means that while this work is taking place, the bridge continues to be open to pedestrians.

However cyclists and e-scooter users have to dismount, push their rides over the bridge and share the footways with pedestrians.

Cyclists and pedestrians had both been using Hammersmith Bridge again after safety checks allowed it to partially reopen in July 2021.

The 134-year-old cast-iron structure had been shut to traffic since April 2019, after engineers found cracks in its pedestals.

All motor vehicles were prohibited from using the bridge from that date, but the crossing deteriorated further during a heatwave in August 2020, leading to it being closed to all users. 

Hammersmith Bridge is one of the world’s oldest mechanical suspension bridges and one of the most expensive in Britain. 

Only structures in Dubai and China have taken longer to build then the Victorian bridge has taken to repair.  

It is feared it could take up to six years to ensure the bridge can be safely used by motorists again. 

The pedestal cracks led to motor vehicles being prohibited from using the bridge in April 2019, with the August 2020 heatwave leading to it being shut off to all users.

The closure increased journey times and congestion as people took alternative routes across the Thames.

A ban on river traffic was also a key factor in the annual University Boat Race being moved to Ely, Cambridgeshire but it looks set to make a return this April. 

After passing safety checks, Hammersmith and Fulham Council said pedestrians and cyclists would be permitted to return to the crossing.

The council has installed a £420,000 temperature control system to help prevent cracking in the pedestals.

Acoustic sensors have also been fitted to identify further cracks.

The board for the Case for the Continued Safe Operation of the bridge (CCSO), which is advising the council, said these measures combined with engineering inspections mean the safety risk of allowing pedestrians and cyclists to use the crossing is ‘acceptably low’.

It said that the ‘temporary measures’ were ‘not a substitute for permanent repair’, adding: ‘Without a funded plan for repair the limited current use must cease eventually.’

The Department for Transport said in 2021 that the Government will not contribute more than a third of the repair costs of the bridge, which are estimated to exceed £100 million. 

But an innovative proposal could see Hammersmith Bridge re-opened three years earlier than planned, with a cost saving of £40m. 

The double-decker solution would see a temporary two-layer structure installed above the current road level of the bridge.

Pedestrians will be able to cross the River Thames using the bottom layer, while road traffic will use the second level, say council chiefs.

The new double-decker crossing will not place a load on the bridge – allowing engineers to continue repair work on the structure as planned.  

In a bid to slash the repair time, Hammersmith and Fulham Council leader Stephen Cowan enlisted the help of local property tycoon Sir John Ritblat to come up with a solution to the closure.

Sir John is said to have approached London-based architects Foster and Partners and asked them to develop an alternative plan for the bridge.

The plans, drawn up by Foster and Partners along with bridge specialists COWI, involves installing the two-layer structure to allow pedestrians and vehicles to cross.

The double-decker structure will allow the existing road approaches to continue to be used, and is designed to add no load to the current bridge deck – which will be removed in stages for repair.

Elements of the Grade II* listed bridge that need repair, including pedestals, anchors and chains, would be lifted away using the temporary bridge and transported by barges to an off-site facility for safe repair and restoration.

Roger Ridsdill Smith, head of Structural Engineering at Foster and Partners, said: ‘We believe that our concept resolves the two challenges for Hammersmith Bridge economically and efficiently: delivering a temporary crossing quickly, whilst providing a safe support to access and refurbish the existing bridge.’

David MacKenzie, Executive Director at COWI, added that the approach was ‘practical and viable.’

Reports suggested the bridge could cost £187million to fix and would be closed for six years – even though it took the Victorians only half that time to build.

The cost to stabilise it is £46m, according to the local council, which will make it safe for pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic. 

A cost of £141m would fully restore the bridge so it can be reopened to buses and motor vehicles – a similar amount to building a new bridge. 

While a quicker option could cost up to £163m. 

To pay for this currently, Hammersmith and Fulham Council are borrowing the money and getting TFL and the government to pay a share. 

But they are not ruling out tolls being place on the bridge that would affect motorist but they said it wouldn’t affect residents in the council’s area. 

The bridge is Grade II Listed by Historic England, meaning it is a ‘particularly important’ national structure of ‘more than special interest’.

So a new one cannot be built and maintain the Victorian heritage of the bridge, which was the first suspension bridge built over the Thames. 

Designed by the noted 19th century civil engineer, Sir Joseph Bazalgette, it was built in 1887 and opened by the then Prince of Wales. 

It uses a combination of cast iron, wrought iron and 999 individual wooden plates and features structural copulas and seven crests. 

It’s also London’s lowest bridge, with a water clearance of just 12 feet at high tide, and one of the capital’s weakest bridges, which is why weight restrictions have been in place since 2015.  

Until 2015, when the council limited the number of buses, the bridge was used by 22,000 cars and 1,800 buses every day.

Up until 13 August 2020, hundreds of boats travelled underneath and 16,000 pedestrians and cyclists travelled across it each day including more than 1,000 school children from several London boroughs.