Hammersmith Bridge shut due to heatwave cracks

Grant Prior 5 years ago
Share

Hammersmith Bridge was closed completely yesterday after engineers found cracks in the crossing had widened during the heatwave.

The bridge was closed to motorists in April 2019 after faults were found in the cast iron casing.

Now the 133-year-old bridge has also been closed to pedestrians and cyclists following ongoing monitoring by specialist engineers.

Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, said: “Safety is the number one priority.

“I’m absolutely sure that we averted a catastrophe by closing this 19th century suspension bridge to motor vehicles last year.

“We have some of the best engineers in the world working on this scheme. They advise we now face a similar dilemma.

“I appreciate how inconvenient this will be to thousands of people on both sides of the river and I am sorry about that, but we must follow the engineers’ advice which is why the bridge will be closed with immediate effect.

“We will update everyone as soon as engineers have investigated the scale of the recent damage. I have instructed them to find a plan to safely reopen it as quickly as they can.”

Hammersmith Bridge and the heat

Hammersmith Bridge is a cast iron structure designed and built by Sir Joseph Bazalgette.

Cllr Cowan said: “The micro-fractures were only discovered because in 2014, I commissioned a comprehensive structural integrity review of all aspects of the bridge’s suspension structure which began in 2015. That was the first such review in decades.

“The bridge had been badly maintained for many years. The structural integrity review quickly began to find decades of unchecked corrosion riddled throughout.

“It found that important mechanisms on the bridge had seized up years earlier causing the suspension structure to cease to operate as it had been designed to – causing other problems elsewhere in the machinery.

“Last year, using the latest technology, it discovered dangerous micro-fractures in the cast iron pedestals that hold the suspension structure in place.”

“These unchecked structural failures compromised the flexibility of the suspension chains over previous years and caused the micro fractures.”

During the recent heatwave contractors have done everything they can to reduce the temperature of the bridge – including hosing down the bridge pedestals and chains with cold water.

Specifically, the suspension chains are affected by extreme temperature changes. This past weekend when we experienced heat above 30 degrees, engineers worked around the clock to cool the chains and the foundation pedestals to prevent the bridge from failing.

Latest news

Wills Bros wins latest £152.7m A9 dualling deal

Contractor beats off competition from Balfour and Graham
10 hours ago

Lorne Stewart pulls plug on modular arm as losses mount

MDSL modular business wound down as parent LSRM reports £1.9m loss
19 hours ago

New law to force tower block cladding fix by 2029

Jail threat looms as £1bn fund launched to fix unsafe social housing
1 day ago

Infrastructure Pipeline published with 780 projects worth £530bn

New online tool to provide live updates on hundreds of schemes
2 days ago

World’s largest crane lifts Hinkley dome: Video

Construction times cut by 30% on nuclear site
1 day ago

Aviva funds council housing push in north London

Barnet council seals first big institutional funding deal for housing
19 hours ago

Tarmac lands Welsh road repairs deal

Tarmac will also be able to bid for improvement work on the A55 North Wales Expressway
19 hours ago

Flannery invests £22m with JCB to boost fleet

Plant hirer strikes latest deal with machinery giant as fleet investment continues
2 days ago

BAM boots Danny Sullivan off £100m HS2 bat tunnel

Contractor terminates labour supply deal on controversial project
2 days ago

Mace confirmed for £200m Paddington overstation job

Helical JV also sets start date for 429-room student job over Southwark station
2 days ago

Kier names new construction boss for clients and markets

Rebecca Boundy promoted to lead sector teams after year of framework wins
2 days ago

Elements Europe went down owing supply chain £8.7m

Korean owner kept offsite specialist afloat with £71.8m of loans in bid to stem losses
3 days ago

Bristol awards £288m civils and highways framework

Eurovia, Tarmac, Colas and regional SMEs share 10-lot deal
2 days ago

Kier seals PCSA deal for £55m Bridgend school

Heronbridge special school move back on track after cost hike and delay
2 days ago

Mobile crane fire closes M11 motorway

City Lifting machine catches fire in Essex
2 days ago

Altius and Erith win landmark London tower rebuild

Westminster council advances Huguenot House redevelopment
3 days ago

Corbyn suppliers left £4.4m out-of-pocket

£33m-turnover civils contractor only employed eight staff
3 days ago

McAlpine to restore England’s largest Victorian water tower

Colchester’s iconic ‘Jumbo’ to be reborn as visitor destination
3 days ago

Andrew Scott lands £20m Grand Pavilion revamp in Porthcawl

Restoration of landmark Art Deco building gets underway with 2027 finish target
3 days ago

Keepmoat profit drops 35% as completions slide

Land pipeline expands to 24,400 plots as firm eyes rebound
3 days ago

Bid race begins for £425m water transfer scheme

Contractors invited to help shape Affinity Water project
3 days ago

Legacy building defects return to haunt Barratt Redrow

House builder sets aside £248m for Redrow fire and concrete frame fixes
4 days ago

Skanska agrees £153m price to revamp A47 Thickthorn junction

New link roads and underpasses to ease traffic near Norwich
4 days ago

First tower plans go in for £1bn Liverpool Pier Head site

First design will "set tone" of scheme which could contain 60-storey tower
4 days ago

Barhale creates new low-carbon chief board role

Haddon takes board seat while Solomon becomes eastern regional director
4 days ago

Met Police preps £300m framework for estate upgrade

Early market talks start ahead of October bid contest
4 days ago

Raft of SME firms win £94m framework places

More than 50 demolition and asbestos specialists chosen: Full list
4 days ago

GRAHAM gets go-ahead for £110m Boddingtons Brewery revamp

Work to start this summer after Gateway 2 approval secured
5 days ago

Thames Water finance chief joins BAM UK & Ireland

Abigail Farrell-Black joins contractor as new finance head after senior roles at Thames and Southern Water
5 days ago

FM Conway profit jumps to £33m under Vinci

Turnover hits £608m and cash surges £68m just two months into new ownership
5 days ago