Hammersmith bridge fiasco: Pedestrians now have to queue for 30 minutes to cross bridge

Yahoo

11-02-2025

The Hammersmith bridge saga hit a new low on Tuesday morning when pedestrians had to queue for half an hour to cross the crisis-hit bridge.
The Thames bridge, which links Hammersmith and Barnes, has been closed to vehicles since April 2019 and one MP warned recently it was unlikely to fully reopen until 2035 at the earliest.
It has remained open to pedestrians and cyclists if they walk their bikes across the river.
But on Tuesday morning one of the two footpaths on either side of the bridge was closed – creating a massive tailback of pedestrians trying to walk towards Hammersmith.
Furious locals dubbed it a symbol of 'broken Britain' and said it was 'laughable if it wasn't so awful'.
One said there was two-way pedestrian traffic on a 'super-narrow path at peak rush hour and people waiting half an hour to cross in dangerous conditions'.
Kieren McCarthy, a journalist and policymaker who lives in Putney, posted a video on X showing people queuing to cross the bridge at 8.30am.
He wrote: 'We've reached the point where we now have pedestrian traffic jams to go with the car traffic jams in Putney. Just not good enough.'
He added: 'As far as I could make out, workers were occasionally going in and out of the central part of the bridge with equipment and stopping the flow of people each time. I didn't want to queue up for 30 mins just to find out.'
We're reached the point where we now have pedestrian traffic jams to go with the car traffic jams in Putney. This is the scene at 8.30am on Hammersmith Bridge… #justnotgoodenough pic.twitter.com/qy1LQTUmvy
— Kieren McCarthy (@kieren) February 11, 2025
Putney has been one of the areas worst affected by the Hammersmith bridge closure, as many drivers divert via Putney bridge.
The 138-year-old bridge has been closed to motor vehicles since cracks appeared in its pedestals in April 2019.
Hammersmith and Fulham council, which owns the bridge, said in a statement: 'Please be aware that due to a leak in a Cadent Gas pipe running below Hammersmith Bridge, we have been forced to close one footway.
'At peak times there may be a delay in crossing on the other footway. We apologise for the inconvenience. Cadent Gas workers are on site working to repair the problem.'
A council spokesman said at midday that the council as awaiting an update from Cadent on when the other footway could be reopened.
The Labour-run council is understood to have so far spent about £45m over the last six years on works to restore and stabilise the bridge.
The bridge's road surface is closed to enable the bridge to be re-decked. Once that process is complete, in the spring of this year, the council hopes to fully re-open the entire span of the bridge for pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders.
A Government taskforce charged with solving the funding crisis that has prevented the bridge from being reopened met last month for the first time in three years.
The cost of fully repairing and reopening the bridge was estimated last year at £250m.
It is unclear how long a full repair programme could take, though Putney MP Fleur Anderson told The Standard last month that it could potentially take until 2035 for the bridge to reopen.
Under the last Government, it was proposed that the Department for Transport would pay a third of the total cost of repairs, with Transport for London paying another third. The final third would be picked up by the council.
But the council says it will have to introduce a toll on the bridge to repay its share of the repair bill.