Andy Slaughter MP on why Hammersmith Bridge is unlikely to reopen to cars and what should happen next

After seven years of closure, point-scoring and rising costs, Hammersmith Bridge looks set to remain shut to motor traffic for good, with the focus now shifting to securing £100 million just to keep the existing structure safe for pedestrians and cyclists

Guest blog from Andy Slaughter MP

2027 is the bicentenary of the opening of the first Hammersmith Bridge. Neither it nor the Bazalgette upgrade that replaced it 60 years later anticipated the modern tolerances required by the electric buses and SUVs of the twenty-first century.

And so, in 2019 the Bridge failed, and closed to motor traffic. Last week we learned that it is likely to stay closed to buses and cars for the foreseeable future.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council have published its way forward on Hammersmith Bridge. The cost of a full restoration, which I have supported, has risen to £300 million on top of over £50m spent so far by LBHF on stabilisation.

Given the new pot of money for bridge repairs for the whole country is ‘only’ £1 billion, there is no prospect of a reopening beyond walking, cycling and perhaps some shuttle service for those unable to easily traverse from Barnes to central Hammersmith.

Even to accommodate this, Hammersmith & Fulham Council have to succeed in an ambitious bid of over £100 million to complete works and improve the existing structure so the future life of the bridge is assured.

The report to Hammersmith & Fulham’s Cabinet repays careful reading.

It is a well-argued and supported by evidence.  In the absence of the funding needed to replace most of the Bridge’s component parts no one has come up with a scheme to replace or repair the Bridge and residents have become tired of the point-scoring and lack of progress made over the past seven years.

H&F go further and point out that without substantial investment in what remains a substandard structure, the safety of the current bridge and the bill for constantly patching and mending mean future full closures and failures will continue.

Their proposal which appears to be encouraged by the Department for Transport is not just the best but the only show currently in town.

READ ALSO: Costs of £300m put paid to plans for Hammersmith Bridge to take cars again

I continue to receive more requests to keep the Bridge closed to motor traffic than to reopen it.  I am also aware that there are contested views on the effect on neighbouring bridges in terms of congestion and delay.

Given this I am often asked why I have not supported the walking/cycling option previously. The answer is that I do think Hammersmith Bridge provided an alternative north-south route that had served our part of London for two centuries.

The closure to vehicles was not planned and it has undoubtedly caused inconvenience particularly to Chiswick residents seeking to use the A316.

Our priorities now must be to obtain the money from the Structures Fund to allow a long-term repair of the current Bridge and to monitor the traffic flows displaced over a settled period with a view to returning to the issue of what traffic can be supported if congestion and pollution increase.

One change I would like to see immediately, beyond the necessary repair works, is a way for those less mobile to cross between Hammersmith and Barnes.

One such option is a shuttle service  so Next weekend I am visiting the driverless pods being advocated for this purpose.

READ ALSO: Autonomous electric pods to be showcased at Barnes Fair as alternative transport for Hammersmith Bridge

For five years central government passed the buck, and no one else had any bucks to spend. For the past two there has been an attempt to quantify and explore the future options for the Bridge.

The outcome will please some and annoy others.  We need to make the best use of the resources we have or can obtain and to mitigate the negative effects that some fear may result.

Read more stories on The Chiswick Calendar