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What we do know is that the main problem is that steel roller bearings between each of the four saddles and pedestals at each end of the bridge have seized up.Īs a result there are unbalanced thermally induced cable forces on either side of the saddles, which have caused the pedestals to crack.Ĭoncerns that the bridge could collapse were raised after cracks were found in three of the four pedestals that support the suspension cable saddles at the abutments. The exact list of defects is a closely guarded secret, with the council refusing to release engineering evaluations on the grounds of national security. Returning Hammersmith Bridge to its former glory will be a huge feat of engineeringĬoles says that in total “17 major defective elements need addressing before the bridge can be fully opened”, with almost every part of the structure in need attention.

Returning Hammersmith Bridge to its former glory will be a huge feat of engineering, says the taskforce’s project manager Dana Skelly. The Department for Transport’s (DfT’s) Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce has committed the government to stump up a third of the repair bill with cash-strapped TfL and Hammersmith & Fulham Council responsible for finding the rest of the £141M to £163M needed to fully restore the structure. River traffic beneath the bridge has also resumed, having been halted last summer because of fears that the structure could suffer a catastrophic collapse.įunding arguments between the government, the local council and Transport for London (TfL) have held up efforts to fully reopen the bridge. Now, pedestrians and cyclists are once again crossing the 134 year old structure after consultant Mott MacDonald deemed a partial reopening safe in July. It was also closed to pedestrians and cyclists in August 2020. This crossing of the Thames between Barnes on its south bank and Hammersmith to the north was closed to motor vehicles in April 2019 due to concerns about the integrity of the structure, which is owned by Hammersmith & Fulham Council. With the river lapping below Hammersmith Bridge and autumn leaves beginning to fall on the banks either side of the crossing, it is easy to forget that the Victorian structure has been front and centre of an ongoing political wrangle. The political wrangle which has held up repairs to Hammersmith Bridge pales in comparison to the enormous engineering challenge of repairing one of London’s most iconic Thames crossings.

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