When will Hammersmith Bridge finally reopen for cars... and could drivers have to pay a fee to use it?

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There is hope that London motorists might be able to drive across Hammersmith Bridge again - but the bad news is, it might take another 10 years.

A taskforce aimed at getting Hammersmith Bridge fixed and open to vehicles again has met for the first time in over three years.

Last Thursday, the group met under Labour's minister for local transport, Simon Lightwood, marking the first time it had come together for talks since the previous Conservative Government held a meeting near the end of 2021.

The closure of Hammersmith Bridge to motor vehicles (cars, vans and buses) since April 2019 has been a point of contention and frustration to local residents after the massive increase in congestion on neighbouring roads. 

The 138-year-old bridge closed when cracks appeared in its pedestals, with only pedestrians and dismounted cyclists able to use its walkways.

The estimated cost of fixing the bridge has swollen to £250million. 

A taskforce aimed at getting Hammersmith Bridge fixed and open to vehicles again has met for the first time in over three years which could signal the reopening of the bridge in the future

In December 2022, Hammersmith and Fulham council submitted documents to the then Conservative Government on how to repair Hammersmith Bridge, along with a split of how the repairs would be paid for.

Proposals divided the repairs three ways between the Department for Transport, Transport for London, and local councils such as Hammersmith and Fulham.

However the Tory Government never gave a response. 

This was despite then-Transport Secretary Grant Shapps visiting the bridge during the election campaign and pledging that the Tories 'would not allow this just to remain closed.' 

Mr Shapps assembled the taskforce in 2020, but before last week it hadn't held a meeting since November of the following year. 

Despite the lack of progress on re-opening the bridge to vehicle traffic, local councils have already spent an estimated £45million since 2019 to help restore and stabilise it, with works including re-decking and replacing corroded elements with rubber bearings.

The estimated cost of fixing Hammersmith Bridge has now swollen to a colossal £250 million since its closure to vehicles in 2019

What exactly has been discussed in the meeting is unknown but a City Hall spokesman told the Standard that Sir Sadiq Khan’s deputy mayor for transport, Seb Dance found the meeting 'constructive.'

A DfT spokeswoman said that they 'recognise the frustration the continued closing is causing motorists' and that they've 'inherited a challenging situation'.

It added: 'We continue to work closely with the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and TfL on the bridge’s restoration and the Department has provided £13m of funding towards the project.

'The Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce met to consider the full range of options available and potential next steps for the long-term future of the bridge. We will share further updates in due course.'

Will drivers have to pay to cross Hammersmith Bridge if it reopens? 

Hammersmith and Fulham have warned that a reopened bridge would have to be paid for by introducing a road user charge or toll

While the reopening of Hammersmith Bridge would be welcomed by drivers and residents, paying to cross it might not go down so well.

But the borough authority has said that it would only be able to raise the money it is required to put towards the bridge repairs by bringing in a road user charge or toll.

The introduction of a pay to pass system is unlikely to be met positively by motorists who've been waiting for years for the bridge to be fixed and have had to put up with traffic, time added to journeys and the hassle of detouring around the closure.

When could the bridge reopen? 

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Although the meeting is a positive step, the likelihood of the bridge opening in the immediate future is slim.

Putney MP Fleur Anderson told the Standard last week that the bridge could stay closed for another decade to vehicles.

Ms Anderson said it was unrealistic that the bridge would be finished by the end of the current government term as 'even if they started [now] it would be 10 years of building'.

She blamed the inability of the Conservative government to 'get on with' repairing the bridge as the reason for why it would take until 2035 to reopen fully after repairs. 

The impact of Hammersmith Bridge closure on roads  

Wandsworth Council's automatic traffic count data shows a 25% increase during peak morning hours on Putney Bridge between 2019 and 2023 because of Hammersmith's closure

Wandsworth Council has looked into the ongoing impact of the bridge closure on Wandsworth residents, in particular the increased congestion and bus route issues.

Using its own data as well as the DfT and TfL's data, the council found there's been a significant increase in traffic on Putney Bridge as a result of Hammersmith Bridge closure. 

Snapshot data from the DfT shows that between 2020 and 2023, the overall number of motor vehicles on Putney Bridge increased by an estimated 16 per cent a day.

The Council's automatic traffic count data shows a 25 per cent increase during peak morning hours between 2019 and 2023.

TfL data also confirms bus journey and waiting times have worsened.  

Saying that the ongoing closure of Hammersmith Bridge had put an 'unacceptable burden on the people of Wandsworth, the Leader of Wandsworth Council, Simon Hogg, stated: 'Following the closure over five years ago, traffic has got increasingly worse on our local roads, resulting in regular gridlock and longer journey times for people commuting to work, school, and vital appointments. 

'Businesses are struggling, emergency vehicles are delayed, buses are delayed, and our community is rightly frustrated at the inaction and lack of progress to reopen this key river crossing.'