Support frames will be fitted onto the saddles where the bridge’s chains are attached
(Picture: Hammersmith & Fulham Council)The final phase of stabilising Hammersmith Bridge is almost finished before repair work can begin.
More than 1,000 pieces of imported steel have been welded together in a factory in Middlesbrough to form support structures for the 135-year-old British engineering feat.
Twenty-nine giant sheets of steel, shipped to the UK late last year, have been made into structures that will be fitted onto the saddles where the bridge’s chains are attached.
Once the steel frames are fitted, the team will jack the saddles up and replace the corroded seized bearings, Hammersmith and Fulham Council said.
This is expected to be finished in April, with the overall main stabilisation works project to be completed in May.
Then engineers will carry out repair work to the surface and decking, before looking to reopen the main carriageway to cyclists.
The invasion of Ukraine caused delays to the imported steel’s arrival in the UK, the council said, but it has not impacted the timetable for the full restoration works.
Crossing the River Thames, Hammersmith Bridge is one of the world’s oldest suspension bridges which is why it is also one of the most expensive to repair.
Critical work to stabilise the historic west London bridge was completed in October when engineers strengthened all four pedestals using concrete.
Work to stabilise the bridge began in February 2022.
Mott MacDonald developed an alternative £8.9m stabilisation programme for the bridge which will save local and national taxpayers £21m compared to the previous Transport for London (TfL) proposal, the council claims.
These works have reduced the need for temporary closures for pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic, and support residents on both sides of the river.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council is seeking planning permission for a double-decker solution to keep the bridge accessible while repairs are undertaken.
The design proposes a temporary crossing be fixed above the existing 1887-built suspension bridge, so drivers, walkers and cyclists can cross the Thames while repairs are carried out on the existing structure.
The council has claimed the proposal would save around £40 million from the cost of the overall repair project and save time.
Hammersmith is a structure made out of wood and wrought iron with the suspension chains held in place by cast iron pedestals.
It is part of Britain’s engineering heritage and a national landmark.
Cllr Sharon Holder, H&F Cabinet Member for Public Realm, said: “To expedite the full restoration works at pace, we continue to fund the project upfront in good faith and at risk rather than wait for the Department for Transport and TfL’s governance processes to sign off on their one-third shares.
We, of course, anticipate that their shares will be subsequently reimbursed.”
Overall repair costs are estimated to exceed £100 million.
Cracks in the pedestals are believed to have been caused by corrosion dating back more than 70 years.
