Hammersmith Bridge will not be reopened to motor traffic as it would ‘essentially require a brand-new bridge to be built' due to the £300m of repair work needed, according to a council report.

Since 2019, the 139-year-old Grade II listed bridge has been closed to motorists due to cracks appearing in its pedestals, with only cyclists and pedestrians able to currently use the crossing between Hammersmith and Barnes.

While plans have been discussed at length to reopen the bridge to all traffic – with mixed support from the public – a report from Hammersmith and Fulham Council said that a full restoration would cost £300m, despite the council having already spent £54m on repairs since the bridge first closed.

The reason for such a high repair cost is that the whole listed heritage structure needs to be replaced, strengthened or restored.

A previous settlement made in 2021 proposed that the repairs for the bridge be split three ways between the council, Transport for London (TfL) and the Department for Transport.

However, the council's position on this agreement is that ‘it is still owed money due from TfL, primarily, and DfT towards the £54m that has been spent on the restoration project.' Specifically, it argues that it is owed £22.9m (£16.51m from TfL and £6.42m from the DfT) so that the cost of the bridge is spread equally.

A TfL spokesperson told the BBC: ‘The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham are the owners and highway authority for Hammersmith Bridge.

‘We continue to work with the borough, the Department for Transport and others to agree the right solution, as well as to agree how any future works to the bridge might be funded.'

A DfT spokesperson added: ‘We have provided £17m to keep the bridge open for walking and cycling, and will continue to work closely with the council and Transport for London as we consider future funding through our new Structures Fund.'

Continued lifespan

The report also stated that for the bridge to continue to be safe to use and remain open ‘in the short to medium term', more works will be needed.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has submitted a pre-application to the DfT's Structures Fund for works costing £128m, but this would not cover full repairs to the bridge, as the fund requires all schemes to be completed before 31 March 2030, which the report stated is ‘plainly not achievable in that timespan'.

Due to this, the report recommended the council proceed with a ‘phased repair bid', which would be ‘focussed on the most critical life-expired elements of the structure, with the immediate aim of keeping the bridge open and safeguarding access for pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic'.