let's get Hammersmith bridge open!

We all need to have Hammersmith Bridge open again ASAP!

Since August 2020 school children, residents and the emergency services (to name just a few) face severe delays to negotiate around this blocked arterial route.  At the same time, no river traffic whatsoever can pass underneath which is a frustration for all the recreational river users such as ourselves, another business blow to the boats operating as tourist vessels and an operational nightmare for the RNLI at Chiswick Pier as they need to mobilise their volunteers to help fuel their lifeboats by carying jerry cans over land!

The bridge was closed to all pedestrian and river traffic following reports of dangerous cracks growing within its structure.  As we sit here today the bridge has a £140m repair bill to be fully opened again and a £40m repair bill just to get pedestrians and river traffic passing through it again.

TFL have received funding from the Government to investigate exactly what work is needed to get the bridge secure enough for pedestrians and river users with this exploratory work expected to finish in March 2021.  The current estimate is that it will then take 11 months to repair the bridge but as yet there is no sign of the £40m needed to make this happen.

This funding also requires TFL to try and set up a ferry service across the river as interim measure.

We understand the need to get the ferry service up and running ASAP but this should only operate in a safe part of the river next to Hammersmith Bridge which is not currently used by recreational traffic. 

At the same time, we all need to ensure that those in power do not use the ferry as an excuse to take their foot off the gas from getting the only sensible result in place…get the bridge back open to pedestrians and river traffic ASAP!

If you’d like to discuss FRBC’s views on the Bridge, please do email our CEO at [email protected]