Transport for London (TfL) is reportedly in favour of installing a temporary bridge for cyclists and walkers to provide them with a route across the Thames while Hammersmith Bridge is repaired, while rejecting an alternative proposal for a bridge for motor vehicles to be installed alongside the existing structure while works are carried out.

The Grade II listed suspension bridge, which was opened in 1887, was closed to motor vehicles in April this year after cracks were discovered in the pedestals which support it.

Since then, the bridge which links Hammersmith & Fulham on the north bank of the river with Barnes in the Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south side, has only been open to cyclists and pedestrians.

New Civil Engineer reports that TfL has rejected plans to erect a £5 milllion temporary road bridge alongside it on the grounds that the proposal is unfeasible and too expensive.

The temporary bridge, which Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had said was being “seriously considered,” was proposed by engineers Beckett Rankine and supported by over 2,900 people who signed a petition.

However, it has been rejected by the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, with a council spokesperson saying: “The expert advice is that this proposal is not feasible in the space available and at an affordable cost.

“We are therefore not pursuing this option. Work is already under way for the complete refurbishment of Hammersmith bridge.”

According to New Civil Engineer, TfL has appointed consultants Pell Frischmann to work on designs for a bridge for cyclists and pedestrians, with three or more firms said to have put forward their ideas for a temporary structure that would enable people to cross the river by bike or on foot.

Hammersmith Bridge itself is set to be fully closed for at least three years while repair works are carried out, with the project estimated to cost £120 million.

Cycling and walking campaigners have argued that the bridge be kept open to cycle and foot traffic only on a permanent basis.