H&F Council doesn't rule out total closure of Hammersmith Bridge during repair period

Now that structural works to Hammersmith Bridge have commenced it seems that engineers are continuing to find different structural failures as they dismantle the inner workings of the bridge structure.

Hammersmith Council has said that as part of its duty to keep the public safe it will not hesitate to close the bridge to pedestrians and cyclists if safety concerns mean pedestrian traffic is too dangerous. However it is stressing that there are currently no plans to close the bridge to pedestrians and that it is also working on plans to ‘minimise disruption’ if a closure were to occur.

What’s the current situation?
At the moment pedestrians are using the bridge’s footpaths and cyclists are being asked to dismount on entering and exiting the bridge, whilst being allowed to pedal over the central span. However, in a briefing note being handed out by bridge marshalls, cyclists have been told that while heavy machinery is in place and structural parts of the bridge are being dismantled no vehicles of any type will be allowed to use the bridge. This will mean cyclists will have to dismount and share the bridge footpaths with pedestrians on the east side footpath (the western side will be closed to allow for the installation of the machinery).

What about the pedal taxi?
This announcement will come as a blow to the team at the Barnes Community Association (BCA) behind the pedal taxi who had been hoping to extend the scheme to include a ferry service to Charing Cross Hospital for elderly residents of Walsingham Lodge. The closure of the bridge to the pedal taxi was first announced by Richmond Council to residents last week but it seems nobody from Richmond had contacted the BCA in advance of the announcement. However the Barnes Village Bugle hears that the BCA has been liaising with Hammersmith and Fulham Council and TfL with the aim of re-introducing the pedal taxi service in January/February after the heavy machinery has been installed on the bridge.

How long will the current engineering works go on for?
This current phase of work to the bridge is scheduled to end on June 1 2020. Grit blasting works will take place in January and April and it is hoped to minimise noise by using encapsulated scaffolding areas. All the works will be filmed and posted online by the council so residents who are curious about how the work is progressing will be able to get live updates.

Sarah Arthur - The Barnes Village Bugle

December 6, 2019