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Temporary cycling and walking bridge planned while Hammersmith Bridge repairedHammersmith Bridge (copyright Simon MacMichael)

Temporary cycling and walking bridge planned while Hammersmith Bridge repaired

Council said to have rejected makeshift crossing for motor vehicles while main Victorian structure repaired
by Simon_MacMichael
Wed, Oct 30, 2019 14:07
3

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.

Hammersmith Bridge
Hammersmith & Fulham
Richmond-upon-Thames
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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3 comments

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A V Lowe | 4 years ago
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You only need to look at the deck plates exposed where the (thin) layer of tarmac has lifted, exposing patched repairs, and even what looks like plywood showing through some gaps.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/h52/48470403397/in/datetaken/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/h52/48470258641/in/datetaken/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/h52/48470400002/in/datetaken/ (wood showing?)

Cleanest option (if not 'sharing' the access for the repair works for this) a bridge for pedestrian and cycle loadings could be to bring 2 x say 500-1000T barges/pontoons/jack-ups & 'sink' them on to the river bed.  Deliver 2 x pylons/A frames on barges which slide across to attach to hinge pivots on the 'pontoons'and are winched upright, & back-stayed, to act as scotch derricks to lift deck sections into central span, where they are cable-stayed  or otherwise 'suspended' between the pylons.

With the central span in place the connections to the river banks are then delivered to the 2 sides by road and assembled to be pulled or pushed out over rollers, with 'rear' kentiledge (a heavy 'vehicle') and cables from the pylons to the section.

No heavy cranes needed, and one option possibly to design a Dredge bridge (only 3 examples remain in the UK), including the prototype in Bath. This design might allow for a smaller A frame/pylon  

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caw35ride | 4 years ago
1 like

Ideally, post-repair it should be opened to pedestrians, anything pedal-powered, motorcycles, emergency vehicles and buses. 

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ridiculouscyclist | 4 years ago
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I think the closure of Hammersmith Bridge has encouraged more people to walk/cycle to work every day than all of Sadiq Khan's 'quietways' put together has done.

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