Will Hammersmith Bridge reopen to pedestrians and cyclists in weeks?

Pedestrians and cyclists could cross Hammersmith Bridge within weeks after the Government today urged a council to ‘look again’ at reopening the closed crossing. 

The cost of fixing the Victorian bridge in West London has already hit £141million and it was initially thought it would not reopen until 2027 – four years later than planned.

But the Department for Transport has now urged the council to ‘redouble efforts towards reinstating pedestrian, cycle and river traffic as soon as safely possible’.

A report found earlier risk assessments were ‘conservative’ and there was now a much better understanding of the bridge, which has a main span of 422ft (129m).

However it added that pedestals would have to be blasted to check for cracks, which is planned for next April, and more monitoring equipment would need to be fitted.

Therefore a temporary ferry across the River Thames to replace the bridge is still planned, after revelations yesterday that this could be running as soon as February.

The closure of the landmark, which normally carries 16,000 people a day and 22,000 vehicles, has provoked international ridicule and caused misery for local residents.

Today, Transport Minister Baroness Vere said the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LDHF) should ‘seriously consider’ the options to get it partially open.

But a council spokesman told MailOnline today: ‘We asked the DfT for its engineers’ report in October, so we are perplexed by the timing of the DfT announcement which we received only minutes before the start of today’s Taskforce meeting.’

He added: ‘Hammersmith and Fulham Council puts the safety of residents and others above all else. We would expect the DfT to fully understand the responsibility for any reopening to include corporate manslaughter liability obligations.

‘If the bridge can reopen in the short term that will largely be due to the temperature control monitoring that we put in place before the Taskforce was established. We will now study the report.’

In September, the DfT asked engineering consultants Aecom and fracture mechanics expert Professor Norman Fleck from the University of Cambridge to write a report about the bridge.

Professor Fleck said a ‘small sum of money’ would allow for ‘immediate remedial action’, adding: ‘In the short term, it would be possible to reopen the bridge quickly and cheaply for pedestrian traffic provided measures are taken to stabilise the cast iron pedestals.’

The expert said this could ideally be carried out ‘without delay, on a timeframe of weeks, and at modest cost’.

The DfT wanted both parties to review engineering studies of the bridge’s condition which were previously done by consultants for the council.

They investigated computer modelling and risk assessments by the consultants and the bridge strengthening works proposed by Transport for London (TfL). 

A DfT spokesman said: ‘They concluded that earlier risk assessments were conservative and, as there is now a better understanding of how the bridge might be behaving, suggest assumptions on its closure should be revisited.

‘The reports recommend LBHF and its consultants reconsider whether the bridge can be reopened, albeit with restrictions, in its current state to pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic.

‘Further mitigation measures will be needed. These include blast-cleaning the paint from the two remaining pedestals so that any hidden fractures can be identified, as well as potentially installing further monitoring equipment.’ 

Both reports found that understanding of the bridge’s condition had ‘improved considerably’ since March when the current risk assessment was prepared.

The DfT added: ‘The government is therefore calling on LBHF to review Aecom and Fleck’s work and consider their rationale for a full closure of the bridge, with a focus on exploring all avenues for a partial reopening.’

The Government has provided the funding for removing ornate cast-iron casings and blast cleaning two western pedestals via a funding deal agreed with TfL in October.

This work is expected to be carried out by April 2021, with the eastern pedestals having already been blast-cleaned.

Baroness Vere said: ‘Today’s reports set out that there is potentially a route to Hammersmith Bridge being partially reopened and without major works, which is something I know people in the area will welcome.

‘I’m therefore calling on Hammersmith and Fulham Council to seriously consider these reports so we can do right by people who have been impacted by this bridge’s closure, and help people move around London easily again as soon as is safely possible.

‘We remain committed to finding a funding solution for the bridge’s full repair and reopening to vehicular traffic.’

The DfT added that given any reopening before the stabilisation works have been completed will be restricted, the temporary ferry service is still planned.

Yesterday, it emerged during a TfL board meeting that the funding to repair and reopen the crossing is still not in place.

But a temporary fix is now on the way with TfL saying yesterday it was ‘working at pace’ on a procurement process to get the ferry contract put in place.

The meeting was also told that ‘urgent’ funding is needed for stabilisation works to at least reopen it for walkers, cyclists and boats underneath.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan faces a battle for the cash, with his deputy saying yesterday that ‘over the years have made a number of applications to Government for funding’.

Ministers are desperate for a solution to re-open the vital crossing amid fear its closure could hurt the Conservatives in next year’s London mayoral elections.

Yesterday, TfL commissioner Andy Byford said: ‘We have been working with Government, as part of the funding agreement we identified £4million as our contribution to Hammersmith Bridge repairs. 

‘And we are working at pace to ensure that a ferry is provisioned, is secured, and we’ve run a procurement process, we’ve issued the documents, such that we can get a successful bidder confirmed by February so that a temporary ferry link can be provided over the river on that critical crossing.’

He added that they had brought in bus service improvements with the frequency of route 533 increased but admitted the problems were a ‘highly contentious issue’.

Mr Byford continued: ‘We’re very alive to the problems over in that part of London and we want to get that bridge job underway and to get the ferry up and running.’

Last month the council revealed plans to build a double-decker crossing over the existing structure which would mean it could be re-opened in a year.

Hopes were raised last month after the bridge’s owners, the Labour-run Hammersmith and Fulham Council, submitted proposals for a temporary crossing.

The double-decker structure would see the creation of two raised decks built above the road: an upper level for cars and a lower level for pedestrians and cyclists.

Council officials have told Transport Secretary Grant Shapps that they could have the temporary crossing up and running within a year of a contractor being approved.

They say the raised deck would not put pressure on the existing structure and would allow for pedestals, anchors and chains to removed and repaired elsewhere.

Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, said today: ‘I am involved in fortnightly meetings as part of the Government’s taskforce with Baroness Vere.

‘The bridge itself is owned by Hammersmith and Fulham Council. We over the years have made a number of applications to Government for funding.

‘We’ve been very much part of trying to find solutions to all of this. The key issue is funding and that’s what needs to be resolved in order to make rapid progress.

‘Whilst we’re doing some works at the moment on the pedestals and we’re progressing rapidly the plans for the ferry, what we urgently need is the funding to be secured so we can actually do the stabilisation works, so at the very least we can get the bridge reopened for people who are walking, cycling and boats underneath it.’

Local residents have welcomed potential solutions, but the idea of a double-decker crossing has provoked scepticism among engineers who fear the Grade II-listed bridge could collapse at any moment. 

The structure is so unstable that river traffic has been banned from passing underneath. The last time the Thames was closed was when the river iced up during the Great Freeze of 1814.

The bridge has been closed to traffic since April last year, when inspectors discovered dangerous ‘micro-fractures’ in the brittle cast iron pedestals.

In August, the bridge was closed off to pedestrians and cyclists after the heatwave was said to have triggered a rapid increase in the size of the fractures – putting the bridge at risk of sudden collapse. 

But the new report released today claimed this was unlikely to have been caused by the hot weather and that the crack may actually be ‘quite shallow’.

The council’s proposal of a double-decker crossing was drawn up by property tycoon Sir John Ritblat, the former boss of British Land, along with Foster + Partners and specialist bridge engineers COWI.

It is one of a number of solutions being considered by a Department for Transport taskforce.

Another proposal, revealed in the Mail last month, involves the construction of a temporary road crossing running alongside the bridge.