H&F Council calls time on Hammersmith Bridge. But don’t say you haven’t been warned…
If you’ve spent any time driving in west London you’ll have experienced the various warnings about the state of Hammersmith Bridge. The frequent school holiday closures, the random repairs and the cue of buses waiting to cross as TfL belatedly tried to lessen the crippling weight loads on the bridge. And if you’ve walked under the creaking bridge along the Thames Path, you’ll have wondered how the iconic bridge is still standing.
Well, Hammersmith & Fulham Council has finally called time on the bridge after finding a ‘critical’ structural fault. It’s presumably critical enough to potentially endanger the public. Now it’s up to TfL to finally raise the money to repair it once and for all – estimated to be a cool £40million.
The 132-year-old Hammersmith Bridge is part of TfL’s strategic road network which they have responsibility for maintaining. The council says: “Unfortunately, up until 2015, TfL were sending 100 buses an hour over the bridge which is something it was never designed for and which was the most important contributing factor in causing this level of damage.”
The council rightly points to the £43million which was wasted on the failed Garden Bridge folly. And also points out that TfL has suffered an £800million cut to its budget from central government and has had to pay for the refurbishment of Albert Bridge and Putney Bridge in recent years.
Motorists are hoping the works can be funded and sorted as soon as possible. While cyclists, runners and walkers alike are hoping it becomes the ‘green’ bridge that the garden could never produce.
Pictures by John Horton – April 2019
