Cars diverted and bus routes shortened for repairs ahead of major refurbishment

Hammersmith & Fulham Council has warned local residents that Hammersmith Bridge will be closed to traffic for four days during the summer holidays to allow for urgent repairs.

The works will run from Monday 20 August until Thursday 23 August, from 7am to 7pm.

The council says it has chosen the school holidays to minimise the disruption to residents and road users while this work takes place.

Motorists will be diverted via Chiswick Bridge and Putney Bridge. However, footways will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists, who must dismount to cross.

Please follow @TfLTrafficNews on Twitter for the latest updates.

The following bus services will terminate before the bridge: 33, 209, 419, 485. Passengers can walk across the bridge to resume their journeys. Some 72 bus services will be diverted via Chiswick Bridge, the remainder will terminate before Hammersmith Bridge.

You can get the latest bus information from Transport for London here or follow @TfLBusAlerts on Twitter.

The council says a full refurbishment of the bridge is scheduled for later this year, but while it remains in use, some panels on the decking surface continue to deteriorate. This work is to repair some of these damaged panels to keep the bridge in use until the full refurbishment.

As the bridge is a very old and highly-complex structure, much of this work is not straight-forward and can be time-consuming.

You can find out more about the refurbishment project at Hammersmith Bridge repairs or by emailing bridgeproject@lbhf.gov.uk.

H&F Council adds that following an extensive examination of the bridge earlier this year, detailed designs for the works have been drawn-up and will be reviewed by Transport for London’s board later this year. TfL will then decide on their preferred option, with work scheduled to start before the end of the year.

The first Hammersmith Bridge - also London's first suspension bridge - was designed by William Tierney Clark and opened on 6 October 1827. However 50 years later it was judged too weak to cope with heavy traffic and the weight of thousands of people crowding onto it to watch the Boat Race!

The current bridge resting on the original bridge foundations was designed by Joseph Bazalgette and opened on 11 June 1887. However the Grade II listed bridge has long suffered from structural problems and has been the target of two IRA bombings, leading to a number of lengthy closures.

August 2, 2018