Hammersmith Bridge: Cost of repairs more than doubles

The cost of repairing Hammersmith Bridge has nearly doubled from initial estimates to £250m.

The 137-year-old bridge has been closed to motor vehicles since cracks appeared in the pedestals in 2019.

Part of the cost is to be paid by the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, which owns the crossing.

It says it cannot afford to pay its share, unless it can raise money via a toll. It has submitted the idea to the government and is awaiting a response.

The entire £250m bill is to be split three ways between the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL).

The council previously said it proposed fully reopening the cast-iron structure and restoring it to its "original Victorian splendour".

While the bridge has been closed, traffic has been diverted leading to longer journeys.

The Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, Sarah Olney, told the BBC: "During the 2019 election, ministers committed to getting the bridge fixed, yet once the votes were counted, they seemingly lost interest entirely.

"If the government had funded the works back then, they would have saved Londoners years of pain and more than £100m in public money."

She said the continued closure of the bridge made "the UK the subject of mockery around the globe".

The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham said: "We have been told by the government to pay an unprecedented one third of the estimated £250m repair bill, which would normally have been paid in large part by Transport for London and the Department for Transport.

"We have made it clear we can only raise that amount of money via a road-user charge or toll.

"Our business case for this was submitted to the Department for Transport in December 2022. It is currently awaiting approval."

A TfL spokesperson said: "We are supporting the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in plans to fully reopen Hammersmith Bridge to traffic.

"The bridge is an important transport link and we continue to raise the reinstatement of bus links across the river in discussions with the Department for Transport and the borough."

The DfT said: "Work is ongoing to look at the business case (put forward by the council)."

London's bridges are meant to be the jewels of the capital, providing vital transport links and beautiful vantage points across the city.

Unfortunately, some are in a poor state and are an embarrassment.

And if there's one that sums up London's crumbling infrastructure and a systemic inability to get things fixed, it's Hammersmith Bridge.

This is a key bit of national infrastructure in a global city that has been shut to vehicle traffic for years.

The bridge has been stuck in a hellish infrastructure stalemate between Transport for London, Hammersmith council and the government.

The big question being who will pick up the tab? Many locals are livid (although some have told me they like the fact there is no traffic) and some think it may never open again to vehicles.

The problem is, as the costs increase, the chances of it being resolved get less.

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