Hammersmith Bridge 24-hour Closures Cancelled
Work which required it to be shut for pedestrians and cycles ends early
Engineers working on corroded bearings on Hammersmith Bridge. Picture: H&F Council
November 9, 2024
A series of 24-hour closures of Hammersmith Bridge scheduled for weekends in November has been cancelled.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council says that engineering work on critical repair work has been completed earlier than expected meaning that the bridge will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists.
Having already been shut for two 24-hour periods, the planned closures starting every Friday at 9pm are no longer happening.
Engineers needed to lift the 137-year-old cast iron bridge and replace the corroded, seized components with new rubber bearings.
After the outer plates were removed from the corroded bearings, hydraulic jacks were installed between them. Their shape allowed them to slide into place under the saddle before being inflated. The jacks work like the tool used to lift a car to change a tyre. Once the jacks raised the saddle, the corroded bearings were removed. Four new rubber bearings were placed in each corner and permanently replace the old, seized bearings.
Meanwhile, engineers are currently resurfacing the bridge’s deck. Nearly 1,000 timber and steel panels that line the bridge deck have been taken up. Engineers are removing the screws that bolt the steel panels down. Two teams work in tandem above and below the bridge.
Once the on-site work is complete, the council says it will fully re-open the entire length of the bridge for pedestrians and cyclists in the Spring with cyclists being allowed to cross without dismounting.
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