Londoners have been warned on the fifth anniversary of the closure of Hammersmith Bridge that it will be at least another five years before it can be reopened to cars, even if the £250 million estimated cost of fixing it is found today.
The Grade II* listed crossing was hurriedly closed to vehicles five years ago after its owner, Hammersmith and Fulham council, found that its wrought-iron structure was riddled with cracks. Pedestrians and cyclists were temporarily banned the following year.
The shutdown has brought worse congestion to much of west London, isolated residents in Barnes on the south side of the river, and prompted global ridicule because of Britain’s inability to repair a vital piece of transport infrastructure in its capital.
The estimated cost of making it safe for cars and buses has ballooned from an initial £20million to the current £250million. Around £30million has already been spent by the Labour-run council and the Department for Transport in stabilisation work that has allowed the bridge to reopen to pedestrians and cyclists.
However, a more ambitious plan to fully restore the bridge — which would include a toll for drivers — has been caught in political wrangling and is still being considered by DfT officials a year after it was submitted by the local authority.
But council sources said that even if a cheque was written today, the detailed work, including removing the pedestals at the end of the bridge to make it safe for the 21st century, would take another five years.
A council spokesman said: “We are committed to the full reopening of the bridge to motor vehicles including buses. But we are a small local authority with very limited funding, and we must have the financial support of the Department for Transport and Transport for London, as well as an agreement to fund our share via a toll.
“The cost of repair is estimated at £250million. In contrast spending on all the maintenance and repair of all London road and river bridges was just £100million between 2010 and 2021, according to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
“Unfortunately, the DfT has once again delayed consideration of Hammersmith and Fulham’s business case for the full restoration of the bridge. It was formally submitted to the DfT one year ago and had been expected to be agreed before Christmas and then again in the new year.
“However, it was dropped from the agenda for both investment board meetings due to issues within the DfT.”
Hammersmith and Fulham leader Steve Cowan said he vividly recalled the moment one of his senior officials said she needed an urgent meeting about the bridge five years ago: “She sat down and said, ‘We need to close Hammersmith Bridge.’ I said, ‘What! That will cause chaos, what’s going on?’
“She told me ultrasound equipment that we had brought in had found microcracks and that the structure could shatter like glass and cause a national catastrophe. I said, ‘How long have I got to make the decision?’ She said, ‘I can give you 30 seconds.’”
A DfT spokesman said: “The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, as Hammersmith Bridge’s owner, is in charge of this project. The Government has already given nearly £13 million to help restore the bridge — including almost £3million announced this week for a new cycle lane. Any business case needs to be viable and offer value for money for taxpayers.”
London minister and Chelsea and Fulham MP Greg Hands has called for the bridge to be brought under the control of TfL.
The Liberal Democrats yesterday marked the five-year milestone with an “anniversary party” complete with cake and balloons, as they urged the Government to repair the bridge.
The event was led by Sarah Olney, Lib-Dem MP for Richmond Park, who said: “Five years ago, the Conservatives vowed that they would not let Hammersmith Bridge remain closed should they form the next government. However, once the ballots were counted at the 2019 election, they clearly lost interest.”
She told the Standard: “There’s no doubt in my mind — we need to see something from the Government, in order to get things moving for Hammersmith Bridge.
“We’ve been in conversations with the council, who own the bridge, with TfL, who have strategic responsibility [for London’s transport], but the fact remains there’s no money to fix the bridge unless the Government is prepared to come to the table with a proper proposal for funding.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “Five years on I understand the frustration that a lot of residents and businesses have felt around the closure of Hammersmith Bridge.
“TfL continue to work with the council to support its full reopening. But the bridge is a major bit of council-owned infrastructure that will cost of tens of millions of pounds to repair, and despite all the work of the local council it will need central government to finally fulfil its promise to provide the major funding that this project requires.”
While the disruption has caused headaches across west London, some residents living closest to the bridge told the Standard the closure had brought benefits.
Carol McFarlane, a semi-retired tax adviser, said: “I love it being closed. I live on Castelnau and it’s ever so quiet. There’s no pollution, and it’s beautiful.”
But university student Elizabeth McDonald, who lives in Barnes but went to school in Hammersmith, said the closure had forced her to cycle miles out of her way, via Putney Bridge.
