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Plans for a double-decker temporary crossing which would sit above the existing Hammersmith Bridge deck have been deemed technically feasible.
The solution involves building a new raised truss structure above the existing road deck featuring a lower level for pedestrians and cyclists and an upper level for cars and buses.
Elements of the bridge that need repair, including the decking, would be lifted away using the temporary bridge as a works platform and transported by barges to an off-site facility for safe repair and restoration.
The designs worked up by architect Foster & Partners and endorsed by consultant Cowi were presented to the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce in November, having won the support of Hammersmith & Fulham Council leader Stephen Cowan.
A six-week feasibility study has now determined that a temporary double-decker crossing is feasible using the existing bridge foundations.
The feasibility study suggests that the temporary crossing could open to pedestrians and cyclists in Summer 2022, with road traffic following two months later.
The study also suggests that full repairs to the bridge could be completed by 2023 for approximately £40M less than the current £141M restoration plan.
Cowan, Foster & Partners and Cowi will discuss the findings of the feasibility study at this week’s meeting of the Government’s Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce.
Foster + Partners head of structural engineering Roger Ridsdill Smith said: “The feasibility study supports the technical viability of the proposed temporary crossing, showing it that it has the potential to be significantly cheaper than a scheme that repairs the bridge in situ. It also offers the possibility of the bridge reopening earlier than previously envisaged.
“The feasibility study was expedited by the extensive investigations and analysis already carried out on the existing structure and we are grateful for the cooperation of all of the parties involved.”
Cowi executive director David MacKenzie added: “Offsite refurbishment of the existing structure is considered to be safer, less disruptive and more sustainable.
“Carrying out the work in internal protected conditions rather than onsite - outside and over the river - will enable us to achieve a higher quality of workmanship and reduce the need for extensive maintenance in the future.”
The council has also submitted an Outline Financial Plan to transport secretary Grant Shapps for the bridge restoration work to be funded through a toll or road charging scheme.
Early assessments indicate that motorists might pay an average of £3 to drive across the 134-year-old bridge, the ownership of which could be transferred to a charitable trust.
Cowan said: “Hammersmith Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the world and the most expensive in Britain to repair.
“So, while we’re working to fully restore the bridge as quickly as possible, we’re also determined to put in place the necessary governance and long-term funding arrangements that will make sure it is properly maintained well into the next century.”
Cowan added: “We are proposing a twin-track solution which reunites maintenance funding with transport use and puts the bridge into a charitable trust, similar to the Bridge House Trust that cares for five of London’s most historic bridges.”
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Hopefully the artists’ impression is just that – those internal truss members look lethal to cyclists.
The greatest cop-out since the last cop-out.The last cop-out was by the French society of do-gooders who decided that the new Notre Dame cathedral would be a perfect replica of the old Notre Dame cathedral. Well then what would be the purpose of going to see it? A perfect opportunity to provide a competition to Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona copped out on.
Your task is to do something new. Something that represents your age, your technology, your vision. Have we all signed up to ancestor worship as They apparently have in France. Something that will pull tourists and travellers from all over the world: “Come and look at the newest British bridge”. No?
Well. Once you get started you will find that the cracks have cracks within them. Because an object which has reached the end of its life HAS REACHED THE END OF ITS LIFE. No use wallpaper and paint.That won’t do and it won’t work. Bite the bullet and commission a new bridge.