Hammersmith Bridge to reopen to bike riders with two-way cycle lane – but only for 10 weeks

Hammersmith Bridge, which cyclists currently have to push their bikes across, is to get a two-way cycle lane from next Tuesday 13 February – although it will only be open for 10 weeks. And unlikely as it sounds, the temporary installation of the active travel infrastructure is in part thanks to the decision of a group of West Ham United fans to travel to an away match at Fulham’s Craven Cottage ground before Christmas by boat.

Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) council says that “significant damage” caused to a gantry running along the underside of the bridge when the boat became wedged underneath it means that ongoing stabilisation work to the historic structure has been temporarily halted.

The local authority is taking advantage of the pause in works to put in place a two-way, three-metre-wide cycle lane in the centre of the bridge’s carriageway which it says will “allow greater access to residents, visitors and businesses on both sides of the river,” and which is “likely to remain open for around 10 weeks.”

The bridge was closed on safety grounds to motor vehicles in April 2019 after cracks were discovered in the pedestals that support it. Initially, it remained open to cyclists and pedestrians, but fresh safety concerns prompted a full closure in August 2020.

> Urgent safety concerns see London's Hammersmith Bridge closed to cyclists and pedestrians

It has since been reopened to people on foot and on bikes, but currently cyclists have to dismount and push their bikes along the footways flanking either side of the Grade II-listed structure.

According to the council, “completion of stabilisation had to be suspended due to the requirement for some refabricated steel plates for the pedestals, while damage caused to the bridge’s gantry by a boat carrying football fans has made it difficult to carry out safety checks.

“The accident in December caused significant damage to the bridge,” the council says, after the football awayday boat “severed the 130-metre-long steel gantry running under the bridge. This platform is required for maintenance workers to access the underside of the bridge.

“The gantry is now being repaired and the new steel plates being fabricated. Until those works are completed and stabilisation can resume, we have taken the opportunity to create a temporary central cycle lane on the bridge.

“The final stage of the stabilisation project is the jacking up of the four corner pedestals to enable the replacement of the bridge’s bearings.

“Following that, H&F will review e-mobility options to shuttle residents across the bridge, notably the elderly or Disabled, subject to a 1.5-tonne weight limit imposed by safety experts.”

The prospect of the bridge, which is owned by H&F and links Hammersmith with Barnes, which lies in the Borough of Richmond upon Thames, ever fully reopening to motor vehicles remains uncertain, with an estimated £250 million required to repair it, with the Department for Transport (DfT) yet to reply to a business case submitted by H&F for funding for the repairs.

Councillor Sharon Holder, H&F Cabinet Member for the Public Realm, said: “Hammersmith Bridge is a major regional transport asset that will cost a massive £250 million to repair. This is a national and a London issue with most users of the bridge coming from south London and the A3 corridor. Fixing this historic bridge requires the support of both national and regional government.

“We are committed to the full re-opening of Hammersmith Bridge to motor vehicles including buses, and we are doing all in our powers to deliver on that commitment. But we are a small local authority, and we must have the financial support of the DfT and Transport for London, as well as an agreement to fund our share via a toll,” she added.