Cracks close Thames Hammersmith Bridge

Published: Friday, 14 August 2020

THE worsening of an existing crack in Hammersmith Suspension Bridge has caused its complete closure.

No boats will be allowed to pass underneath with the river buoyed off.  No walkers or cyclists will be able to cross or even use the underpasses underneath—it is closed to everything, Alan Tilbury reports.

HammersmithBridgeCracks worsened

An inspection revealed that an existing crack has worsened over the past week, that engineers believe is due to the extreme heat conditions London has experienced in the past days.

It is understood it will take £140 millions to repair the bridge and keep it secure for the long term, but its owners, Hammersmith & Fulham Council, are not in a position to meet such a bill and are wrangling with the government, with Richmond Council calling on the government recently to undertake a repair.

Closed to motorists

The bridge has been closed to motorists since April 2019 due to ‘critical faults’ discovered by safety sensors, but it was still open to cyclists and pedestrians while repairs were carried out.

There is no indication when navigation under the bridge will reopen.