A temporary ferry to replace the closed Hammersmith Bridge could be running by February, but the funding to repair and reopen the crossing is still not in place.
The cost of fixing the Victorian bridge in West London has already hit £141million and it is now unlikely to reopen until 2027 – four years later than planned.
The closure of the landmark, which normally carries 16,000 people a day and 22,000 vehicles, has provoked international ridicule and caused misery for local residents.
But a temporary fix is now on the way with Transport for London saying today it was ‘working at pace’ on a procurement process to get a ferry contract put in place.
However, the TfL board meeting was also told that ‘urgent’ funding is needed for stabilisation works to at least reopen it for walkers, cyclists and boats underneath.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan faces a battle for the cash, with his deputy saying today that ‘over the years have made a number of applications to Government for funding’.
Houseboats are moored nearby the closed Hammersmith Bridge in West London last month
Pedestrians look at signs confirming the closure of the Victorian bridge which has been shut
London Mayor Sadiq Khan appeared at the remote Transport for London board meeting today
Ministers are desperate for a solution to re-open the vital crossing amid fear its closure could hurt the Conservatives in next year’s London mayoral elections.
Today, TfL commissioner Andy Byford said: ‘We have been working with Government, as part of the funding agreement we identified £4million as our contribution to Hammersmith Bridge repairs.
‘And we are working at pace to ensure that a ferry is provisioned, is secured, and we’ve run a procurement process, we’ve issued the documents, such that we can get a successful bidder confirmed by February so that a temporary ferry link can be provided over the river on that critical crossing.’
He added that they had brought in bus service improvements with the frequency of route 533 increased but admitted the problems were a ‘highly contentious issue’.
Mr Byford continued: ‘We’re very alive to the problems over in that part of London and we want to get that bridge job underway and to get the ferry up and running.’
Last month the council revealed plans to build a double-decker crossing over the existing structure which would mean it could be re-opened in a year.
Hopes were raised last month after the bridge’s owners, the Labour-run Hammersmith and Fulham Council, submitted proposals for a temporary crossing.
The double-decker structure would see the creation of two raised decks built above the road: an upper level for cars and a lower level for pedestrians and cyclists.
Council officials have told Transport Secretary Grant Shapps that they could have the temporary crossing up and running within a year of a contractor being approved.
They say the raised deck would not put pressure on the existing structure and would allow for pedestals, anchors and chains to removed and repaired elsewhere.
A warning sign on Hammersmith Bridge which has been closed to traffic since April last year
This is a computer generated plan of a proposed temporary Hammersmith Bridge, alongside the original, which is not set to be back to normal until 2027 as it is repaired
Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, said today: ‘I am involved in fortnightly meetings as part of the Government’s taskforce with Baroness Vere.
‘The bridge itself is owned by Hammersmith and Fulham Council. We over the years have made a number of applications to Government for funding.
‘We’ve been very much part of trying to find solutions to all of this. The key issue is funding and that’s what needs to be resolved in order to make rapid progress.
‘Whilst we’re doing some works at the moment on the pedestals and we’re progressing rapidly the plans for the ferry, what we urgently need is the funding to be secured so we can actually do the stabilisation works, so at the very least we can get the bridge reopened for people who are walking, cycling and boats underneath it.’
Local residents have welcomed potential solutions, but the idea of a double-decker crossing has provoked scepticism among engineers who fear the Grade II bridge could collapse at any moment.
Plans to reopen the bridge with a temporary ‘double-decker’ crossing were also unveiled last month. Council chiefs plan to install the two-layer structure above the current road level
The proposed double-decker crossing will not place a load on the current structure – allowing engineers to continue work on the bridge as planned
The double-decker structure will allow the existing road approaches to still be used, and is designed to add no load to the current bridge deck – which will be removed in stages for repair
The structure is so unstable that river traffic has been banned from passing underneath. The last time the Thames was closed was when the river iced up during the Great Freeze of 1814.
The bridge has been closed to traffic since April last year, when inspectors discovered dangerous ‘micro-fractures’ in the brittle cast iron pedestals.
In August, the bridge was closed off to pedestrians and cyclists after the heatwave triggered a rapid increase in the size of the fractures – putting the bridge at risk of sudden collapse.
The council’s proposal of a double deck crossing was drawn up by property tycoon Sir John Ritblat, the former boss of British Land, along with Foster + Partners and specialist bridge engineers COWI.
It is one of a number of solutions being considered by a Department for Transport taskforce.
Another proposal, revealed in the Mail last month, involves the construction of a temporary road crossing running alongside the bridge.