Government’s new fund for road infrastructure offers hope that Hammersmith Bridge might be repaired

Hammersmith Bridge

£1bn Structures Fund set up to help fund the repair and renewal of crumbling local road infrastructure

MPs discussed the future of Hammersmith Bridge in Parliament on Tuesday (21 April), giving west London MPs the opportunity to raise their concerns about it with the Transport Minister.

The timing of the debate coincided with the government publishing its guidelines for applying to its Structures Fund, a potential source of funding for the restoration of the bridge.

The announcement of the fund was “a step forward”, said Hammersmith & Chiswick MP Andy Slaughter:

‘The £1bn Structures Fund, launched by the current government, has been set up to help fund the repair and renewal of crumbling local road infrastructure, including bridges, flyovers, and tunnels across England. It assists local authorities with maintenance costs for projects they cannot afford to fix alone.

‘The announcement of this potential source of funding for the restoration of the bridge is a step forward, and certainly more movement that we ever saw under the Tory government, who didn’t allow the Hammersmith Bridge taskforce to meet for three years’.

There was consensus, he said, that we are now in a position to move forward on the basis of agreed traffic data, updated costings and a potential source of significant funding.

Andy took part in the debate along with the MP for Putney Fleur Anderson and MP for Richmond Park Sarah Olney.

“Seven years of disruption, frustration and avoidable hardship for residents across west London” – Fleur Anderson MP

Fleur Anderson MP

This month marks seven years since Hammersmith bridge was closed, said Fleur Anderson:

“Seven years of disruption, frustration and avoidable hardship for residents across west London.

“The anniversary on 10 April was not a milestone that anyone wanted to reach, but it is a stark reminder of how long communities have been waiting for decisive action and how urgently a fully funded plan is needed to restore this vital crossing.

“It is a national disgrace that this issue is not being rectified”.

Built in 1887, Hammersmith bridge is one of the world’s oldest suspension bridges. It is a grade II listed structure made of wood and wrought iron; its suspension system rests on cast-iron pedestals. As such it has historical significance as well as being a key piece of infrastructure.

It was closed to traffic when cracks were found in the bridge’s pedestals. Since then, there has been a Mexican standoff between Hammersmith & Fulham Council, Transport for London and the Government on who will pay for it to be repaired and a variety of proposals for both temporary and permanent solutions – some more feasible than others.

The impact on the daily lives of her constituents has been severe, sustained and deeply felt, said Fleur Anderson. Residents in Putney, Barnes, Richmond and Hammersmith have endured years of longer journeys, unreliable transport and constant congestion.

Before the closure, around 22,000 vehicles crossed the bridge each day.

Emergency ambulance journeys to Charing Cross taking longer – Sarah Olney MP

Sarah Olney MP

Sarah Olney added that her constituents in Richmond have also faced extreme disruption and reduced opportunities as a result of the closure.

“Emergency ambulance journeys from Barnes, in my constituency, to Charing Cross hospital, on the northern bank of the Thames, have taken significantly longer; and local businesses and families have suffered”.

Since 2019, Hammersmith and Fulham Council has spent nearly £50 million just to maintain the bridge, she noted, “while successive Governments have failed to act”.

Andy Slaughter, speaking in the debate

The bridge will have to be completely rebuilt – Andy Slaughter

Andy Slaughter told Parliament the repairs to the bridge could not be done cheaply.

“Restoring Hammersmith bridge to its former tolerances would require the replacement of most of the elements of the bridge. It would effectively be a new bridge, albeit looking like the old one. That has particular, unique implications.

“It is right that this Minister and this Government have taken a far more proactive view than the previous Government—they could not take a less proactive view than the previous Government, who did not answer my letters for three years”.

Andy outlined three issues to be considered.

Firstly we have to define clearly what the costs are.

“There is the clear preferred option, which is the Foster and COWI scheme; it is very expensive, but other schemes are less efficient and more expensive. What will the cost of that be and what are the opportunities for funding it?”

Then we have to find out how much money would be available from the Structures Fund.

“… In addition to the costs and sources of funds, there is the thorny issue of traffic loading. I have seen many different figures for traffic displacement to other bridges, including Putney and Wandsworth bridges and Chiswick bridge, which is also in my constituency.

“There are serious concerns about that, but we must have sets of figures that we can all rely on—I hope the Minister will say that he now has those figures—because otherwise it is pointless if we are going to not agree on those matters”.

He noted there was also a strong lobby against the reopening of the bridge to traffic.

“The other thing … is the acknowledgment of where Hammersmith council is in all this. I think it is right to say that the council has spent over £50 million on preventing the collapse of the bridge, restoring it to make it a walking and cycling bridge and continuing to maintain it.

“To put that into perspective, that is half the sum spent on repair and maintenance for all bridges over the Thames in the decade between 2010 and 2020”.

Department of Transport considers Hammersmith Bridge “a good candidate” for investment from the structures fund – Simon Lightwood MP, Transport Minister

Simon Lightwood MP

In his answer, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Simon Lightwood, said his department had worked closely with the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and Transport for London to help to ensure the ongoing safety and stability of Hammersmith bridge.

“In March 2025, my Department provided the borough with £4.7 million for crucial repairs to Hammersmith bridge hangers. “That funding has allowed the continued use of the historic structure by pedestrians and cyclists, and brought the total amount of Government funding for the bridge to £17 million to date.

“Furthermore, my Department has reconvened the Hammersmith bridge taskforce, which had been on hiatus for several years. That was instrumental in providing a forum in which interested stakeholders could discuss the next steps, go back to basics and look at all viable engineering solutions for the future of Hammersmith bridge…

“My Department considers Hammersmith bridge a good candidate for investment from the structures fund. We intend to consider the viability of future funding for the next stage of works through that route. However, to ensure absolute fairness, any funding for Hammersmith bridge will be subject to the same controls and eligibility criteria as other schemes funded through the structures fund”.

He said he had been “strangely popular” since the Structures Fund had been announced.