Plans for Hammersmith Bridge have been unveiled, and one of them would see the 139-year-old structure being blown up.
The west London bridge has been closed to cars since April 2019 due to structural issues.
The closure came into force after cracks were discovered in the bridge’s structure and engineers determined that it was not safe for it to be open to traffic.
While pedestrian and cycle access was allowed to remain open, the bridge was closed to all traffic, including pedestrians and cyclists, since August 2020, but in July 2021 it reopened again.
A government-led taskforce is considering its fate, and a car-free bridge, with only pedestrians and cyclists allowed, is on the cards..
The minutes, revealed by a Freedom of Information request, show the taskforce examining permanently banning cars because it would be cheaper and more environmentally friendly.
Restoring the 138-year-old bridge is estimated to cost £250million, and it might not reopen until 2035.
One proposal, among an original six by the task force, would have turned it into an inaccessible monument.
The west London bridge has been closed to cars since April 2019 due to structural issues.
The closure came into force after cracks were discovered in the bridge’s structure and engineers determined that it was not safe for it to be open to traffic.
Another would have seen the bridge demolished and replaced by a new river crossing.
However, these two have now been thrown out.
Only one of the three options still being examined would allow car access.
The plan would see a new road built above pedestrian and cyclists, creating a temporary ‘double-decker’ crossing.
The bridge reopened to pedestrians and dismounted cyclists in 2021, and temporary cycle lanes were installed the following year.
A new permanent £2.9 million cycle lane was approved in April 2024, but construction is still ongoing.
However, repair work on the bridge has been paused since December 2023, when a boat carrying West Ham fans to a match at Fulham collided with the gantry that provides access for workers to the bridge’s underside
The cost of repairing Hammersmith Bridge is estimated to be around £250million after years of delays
The bridge was built in 1887 and opened by the then Prince of Wales. It survived multiple attacks from the IRA
![Sir Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said he 'want[ed] the bridge reopened for vehicles'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/04/05/15/96714035-14574821-Sir_Sadiq_Khan_Mayor_of_London_said_he_want_ed_the_bridge_reopen-a-31_1743863476783.jpg)
Sir Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said he ‘want[ed] the bridge reopened for vehicles’
Buildings that took less time to construct than the Hammersmith Bridge repairs
The Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai, UAE
A high speed bullet train crosses the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge
Empire State Building, New York: One year and 45 days
Eiffel Tower, Paris: Two years, two months and five days
Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge (the world’s longest bridge), on the Beijing-Shangahi high-speed railway: Four years
Burj Khalifa, Dubai: Six years
Buildings that took MORE time:
Great Pyramid of Giza: 20 years
Stonehenge, UK: 1500 years
Sir Sadiq Khan told the Standard he ‘want[ed] the bridge reopened for vehicles’, while former transport secretary Grant Shapps vowed to ‘reopen the bridge to motorists’ in 2022.
But officials praised plans, which would only allow cyclists, pedestrians, and single-decker buses access, as cheaper and environmentally friendly.
The Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce met for the first time in three years on January 30.
A DfT spokesman said: ‘While the Government faces a difficult situation with Hammersmith Bridge, where decisions about its future have been ducked for many years, we recognise the frustration its closure causes motorists.
‘The Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce met on January 30 to consider the potential next steps for the long-term future of the bridge. A range of possible engineering solutions were discussed, and further updates will be made available in due course.’
The decision to close the bridge six years ago was made by the owner Hammersmith and Fulham council after it found its wrought-iron structure was riddled with cracks.
The estimated cost of making the creaking piece of infrastructure safe for cars and buses has ballooned from an initial £20m to the current £250m.
Stabilisation work to allow the bridge to reopen to pedestrians and cyclists cost £40m.
The Labour-run Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Transport for London (TfL) which has strategic responsibility for city-wide transport, and the Department for Transport (DfT) have all been trying to avoid footing the bill.
The DfT had suggested the council and TfL each pay a third of the repair costs, with the taxpayer funding the rest.
However, the borough has already said it cannot afford to pay its share unless it introduces a toll or road user charge.
Hammersmith Bridge, which survived three IRA attacks, is one of the world’s oldest mechanical suspension bridges and Grade-II listed. Designed by the noted 19th century civil engineer, Sir Joseph Bazalgette, it was built in 1887 and opened by the then Prince of Wales.
It is London’s lowest bridge, with a water clearance of just 12 feet at high tide, and one of the capital’s weakest, which is why weight restrictions have been in place since 2015.
