Temporary Hammersmith bridge proposal being ‘seriously’ considered

A temporary river crossing running parallel to Hammersmith Bridge is being “seriously considered”, London mayor Sadiq Khan has revealed.

Transport for London (TfL) and Hammersmith & Fulham Council have  begun investigating the feasibility of installing the £5M bridge while repairs take place to Hammersmith Bridge after New Civil Engineer published an article about consultant Beckett Rankine's stop gap proposal.

During Mayor’s Question Time, Khan confirmed that the Beckett Rankine solution was being considered alongside a separate proposal.

Beckett Rankine’s proposal has also garnered the support of locals who have a launched a petition to get the temporary structure built.

Meanwhile, Chelsea & Fulham MP Greg Hands is also set to meet with Beckett Rankine after labelling the proposal a “great idea” on Twitter.

Hammersmith Bridge has been closed to traffic since April after critical faults were found with its ageing cast iron structure. Early stage estimates put the total cost of repairs at up to £120M. Work is scheduled to take three years.

The bridge will be shut to traffic during the repair work, meaning that several London bus routes are being diverted.

However, marine engineering firm Beckett Rankine has drawn up a temporary solution to provide a traffic link across the Thames during the lengthy repair programme.

The temporary replacement bridge would provide a 7.5m wide carriageway plus a 1.5m wide footway and would be able to carry double-decker buses.

It would use standard off-the-shelf bridging units supplied by RetroBridge and supported on temporary piles.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council spokesperson said that the proposal is “being seriously considered by both the council and TfL”.

While the existing bridge belongs to Hammersmith & Fulham Council, TfL is footing the bill for repairs and so a decision will have to be taken jointly.

Beckett Rankine director Tim Beckett said the response to its idea has been staggering.

“It has moved along very quickly since the [New Civil Engineer] article first appeared,” Beckett said. “We are encouraged by the response of TfL and we really believe that this is the best solution for the problem.”