Embarrassing, humiliating, a microcosm of why we can’t get anything built in this country. Pick your howl of anguish then treble it: this is the story of Hammersmith Bridge. The crossing was shut in April 2019 by Hammersmith and Fulham council after safety sensors detected “dangerous micro-fractures” in the cast-iron pedestals that hold the suspension system in place. It reopened to cyclists and pedestrians in July 2021, but drivers have had no choice but to divert to Chiswick or Putney.
Those who live or work far from the area ought to know that this bridge was no minor crossing. Before its closure, it carried 22,000 vehicles a day and was used by seven bus routes. This sad state of affairs is damaging businesses and heaping endless hours on to the commutes of workers every single month. The excuses are mounting, if not congealing, but start with money. As our City Hall and Transport Editor Ross Lydall reveals, the cost of repairing the bridge has ballooned to £250 million, roughly £100 million up on previous estimates. This is driving very real fears that it will never fully reopen.
A political football
Of course, ways could have been found to get around cash flow problems. At root is the intersection of money and politics. The Department for Transport has demanded that Hammersmith and Fulham council and Transport for London each foot one-third of the bill, with the taxpayer picking up the rest. As a result, the bridge has become yet another political football in the forever war between central government and City Hall. These delays have not come cheap. When the bridge was first closed in 2019, the council estimated the repairs to be in excess of £40 million.
The council is set to consult on a proposed toll, thought to be £3 for drivers, to raise funds for its £83 million portion of the bill. It hopes to begin construction on a temporary double-deck structure in 2026. Yet it has waited since last April for ministers to approve its business case, and the Government said today only that it was still reviewing the proposals, its own taskforce having last met more than two years ago. As for TfL, it has not set aside any funds for its share, despite publishing its business plan outlining spending until 2026/7. No one is taking responsibility.
The Evening Standard would much rather cheer London to the rafters, to celebrate its achievements, its people and all it has to offer. But it is difficult to call the closure of this bridge, a vital link between north and south in the heart of a global city, anything other than an international joke.
The capital ought to be building a city for the future. New train tracks from Crossrail 2 to the Bakerloo line extension, more and better housing, climate-resilient infrastructure and electric charging facilities. As it is, we cannot even get round to fixing a 700ft bridge.
