Government provides £2.9million for cyclists to cross Hammersmith Bridge
The Government is set to provide £2.9million to install a new cycle lane on Hammersmith Bridge following its closure to all traffic in 2019 after cracks were discovered.
Hammersmith and Fulham council owns the Grade-II listed bridge and is responsible for its maintenance. Funding from the Department of Transport (DoT) will be used for a new, fully-resurfaced cycle lane expected in November this year, until further strengthening work can begin.
Once the resurfacing works are completed, cyclists will no longer have to dismount from their bikes and use the separate footpath, allowing them to cross the bridge quickly and separately from pedestrians.
Motor vehicles have been unable to use the bridge since 2019, after micro-fractures were identified in its pedestals.
The bridge was partially reopened to pedestrians and cyclists in 2021, but since then repairs have stalled due to disputes over the funding.
A temporary cycle lane was installed by the local authority on February 13, which is set to remain open until the stabilisation works resume in May.
The temporary cycle lane was installed after a boat ferrying West Ham football fans towards Fulham FC’s Craven Cottage stadium damaged the bridge in December. The council said that stabilisation works had to be paused as a result.
A Government spokesman said: “Ministers continue to work closely with the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and Transport for London (TfL) to fully reopen the bridge to traffic as soon as possible, subject to costs.”
This latest investment takes total funding from the DoT to support the bridge to almost £13million.
An initial £4million went towards immediate mitigation works to the structure, which involved blast cleaning and inspections to the bridge’s pedestals, helping ensure there were no long-term risks to its reopening.
The Department then provided £2.9 million to the council in 2022 to stabilise the bridge with an additional £2.5million in 2023 to inspect the structure.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “Cyclists and pedestrians will be able to continue to use the bridge safely, with this latest funding from Government another important step towards fully reopening the bridge for motorists and all Londoners as quickly as possible.”
Pictured top: Hammersmith Bridge (Picture: Google Street View)
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