Hammersmith Bridge

Hammersmith Bridge Stabilisation And What It Means For Residents.

Hammersmith Bridge is a major thoroughfare in the city of London, having been built as far back as the 1820’s. But recently, the bridge has been inaccessible to cars. As Hammersmith estate agents, we’ve seen the effect on the way people get around and housing decisions. Cracks caused by years of heavy traffic (much heavier than anticipated over 200 years ago, that’s for sure!) and the heat of the sun have meant it has been closed to motorised traffic for some time now. The ongoing effect on local traffic has been one of disruption. As well as road traffic having to divert several miles up or down the Thames to Putney Bridge or Barnes Bridge, river traffic hasn’t been allowed to pass under the bridge for fear of collapse and the pedestrian underpasses have also been closed.

The cracks in Hammersmith Bridge have been a hot topic of conversation in the local area for the past few years. And the future of the bridge has been the subject of much debate. At first, the cost of the repair looked prohibitive. But a recent plan, backed by the local council, has seen this cost reduced dramatically, although still at a cool £6 million estimate. This is seen as the solution to prevent future closes and put the bridge back in full operation. However, the planned works will take 6 years to carry out. And to pay for the work, a toll of £3 per vehicle has been proposed. A hefty price tag – but is it one worth paying? As Hammersmith estate agents, we’re taking a look at what it all means.

The Future Of London Traffic.

We have an old transport infrastructure supporting a modern city. Everywhere we look, from the Tube to the road network and the airports, the city’s transport foundation is creaking. And it’s time that London started to take a look at what the potential solutions might entail. One thing is for sure, we need to make a change. The Hammersmith Bridge is a thing of beauty – Victorian design at its best. The fact that nobody could have predicted the size of road traffic and the volume when it was designed is nobody’s fault.

One of the options is to leave the bridge as a pedestrian and cycle route while building another bridge nearby. But the cost of this looks prohibitive. So, the solution to repair the Hammersmith Bridge is one that looks like it is going ahead. The large scale works that will accompany the repairs over the course of 6 years (and time estimates always seem to be on the low side with projects like these) mean that more noise and disruption will occur over the best part of a decade. But, once completed, it will be a real boost to the area, freeing up traffic again. As Hammersmith estate agents, we can only applaud the fact that repairs will be made and hope that it restores the flow of traffic to the area.