A plan to insert a temporary double-decker bridge inside the closed Hammersmith Bridge is likely to go ahead after the local council approved funding for the scheme.
If approved, it would see a temporary double-decker crossing placed within the existing structure of Grade II*-listed Hammersmith Bridge and supported by the bridge’s foundations.
This would enable the bridge to reopen to motorists.
(c) Foster + Partners
Once the temporary structure is inserted, then elements of the bridge that need repair, including the decking, would be lifted away using the temporary bridge as a works platform and transported by barges to an off-site facility for safer and easier repair and restoration.
The decision to progress to planning permission is among a £5 million package of measures agreed by Hammersmith & Fulham’s council. Planning will require consultation with key stakeholders including Historic England, the Environment Agency, Port of London Authority, Richmond Council and the Marine Management Organisation.
The proposal from architect and engineering firm Foster + Partners and bridge engineers COWI has emerged as Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s preferred option for the full repair of the bridge and its re-opening to motor vehicles.
The plans for a temporary double-decker bridge were first shown off by Foster + Partners back in November 2020.
Stabilisation works on the bridge are now due to be finished by the end of February, following a delay in acquiring steel from Ukraine due to the war. However, the delay has had no impact on the programme for the full restoration as works continue to run in tandem.
In a separate procurement strategy report, the council sets out its objective to appoint a private sector contractor to design, renovate, finance and maintain the bridge. The aim is that the construction costs and the ongoing operation and maintenance of the bridge would be funded by a toll or road user charge once it is permanently opened to motorists again.
This article was published on ianVisits
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The post Hammersmith Bridge getting a double-decker road bridge insert appeared first on ianVisits.
