The Urgent Need to Reopen Hammersmith Bridge

Chiswick Gunnersbury councillor Ron Mushiso reports back

Cllr Ron Mushiso at Hammersmith Bridge

January 27, 2024

In London it seems, we often take our iconic landmarks for granted until they vanish from our daily lives. I remember those evenings when you could effortlessly catch the 33 bus across Hammersmith Bridge, connecting you from Hammersmith to Richmond and St. Mary's University. I had a friend in Acton, who depended on the trusty 72 bus to Roehampton for their teacher training, Sadly, those days are now distant memories for nearly five years, as Hammersmith Bridge has remained closed to buses and other modes of motor vehicles. It has resulted in diversions, delays, and congestions that have had massive knock-on effect on residents in Chiswick.

The decline began in April 2019. Engineers discovered alarming cracks in the roller bearings at the bridge's suspension chain supports. These bearings, crucial for the bridge's structural movement, had seized up over time, causing unintended stress on the cast iron pedestals—designed for a suspension purpose of the bridge. The bridge was initially meant to hold the suspension system in place, but the passage of time had taken its toll, leading to micro-fractures, which had been present since its construction in 1887. However, acoustic monitoring revealed that these defects had worsened significantly.

In the lead-up to its centenary, Hammersmith Bridge came under the ownership of Hammersmith and Fulham Council in 1985, marking a turning point in its history. Under the Highway Act 1980, the council bore sole responsibility for maintaining the bridge. In 2008, the bridge attained Grade II* listed status, emphasizing its historical and cultural significance and the need for preservation.

In April 2019, the acoustic sensors detected micro-fractures on the North-East pedestals. Subsequently, the decision was made to close the bridge, followed by the now limited reopening for pedestrians, cyclists, and river traffic after emergency repairs were carried out. These repairs partially funded by our government. The government's contribution now stands at £8.5 million, and a recent pledge commits them to cover one-third of the full restoration costs, with the remainder expected from the Labour-run Hammersmith and Fulham Council who own the bridge and Transport for London (TfL), overseen by the Labour London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

However, it seems that both TfL and the Labour-run Hammersmith and Fulham Council have yet to grasp the urgency of reopening this crucial lifeline. While all parties have taken steps to allow pedestrians and cyclists to use the bridge, the Mayor Sadiq Khan has neglected the needs of our emergency services, bus passengers, and ordinary car owners; a trend that has persisted over his 8-year tenure.

This stance of waring with motorist is simply unacceptable for a leadership that is supposed to represent London. With over 2.5 million cars registered in London, meaning that almost than half of London’s households owns at least one car.

The repercussions of the bridge's closure has added congestion to Chiswick Bridge, Hogarth roundabout and Hammersmith gyratory to the North and West as well as further displacement of traffic towards Putney Bridge to the East, leading to further frustration during rush hour. The Lower Richmond Road and Mortlake High Street for example have become an ordeal. And I am sure we all know someone who has spent endless hours stuck in the traffic at Chalker's Corner. It is maddening.

It is evident too that the Labour-run Hammersmith & Fulham Council has only taken minimal steps to ensure the passage of pedestrians and cyclists while neglecting other road users. Mayor Khan, must shoulder his responsibility. He has yet to commit to covering one-third of the restoration costs, as suggested by our Government.

Cllr Mushiso with Andrew Dinsmore - Parliamentary Candidate for Hammersmith and Chiswick who is also calling for the bridge to be reopened to traffic

Here is an idea from one Chiswick resident I spoke to recently; TfL had amassed over £8.8 million in fines from the expansion of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) within its first six weeks of implementation. Although I stand by my pledged to support Susan Hall in her policy to scrap this unfair cash grab from day of her Mayoralty, perhaps it is right to questioned where that substantial revenue was being allocated. I was asked why that money was not being earmarked to assist in the restoration of Hammersmith Bridge?

This Mayor seems to very keen to ask for bailouts. He has been in receipt of £6 billion in bailout from the Government, while at the same time, staffing costs for his office at City Hall increased by 57%. We also learned that the cost of his PR team is up by 33% which might explain why his Council Tax precept has ballooned by 71% since he took office in 2016.

Typically, the Mayor seems to have somehow stumbled upon an undiscovered treasure chest at City Hall. The total sum seems to be in the region £500 million which has been set side as a pre-election giveaway. Why has not some of that money gone to the restoration of the bridge?
In fact, figures from October last year showed that TfL had generated £26 million in levies and fines in the first month for the ULEZ expansion. The estimated total revenue would be in the region of £200 million by the time the Mayoral Elections take place on 2nd May 2024. People might conclude that a sum of £200 million is more than enough to cover TfL’s share to fix Hammersmith Bridge. The total cost of which now at £250 million, with the Government offering to pay a third.

As a Chiswick Councillor and a GLA candidate for South West London, I am keenly aware of City Hall's role in restoring this critical infrastructure. Rest assured, as your representative here and soon on the London Assembly, I will continue to put these ideas forward forcibly. I have always been an advocate for a swift, nonsense and effective resolution to a crisis—a resolution that will reopen, restore and preserve this historical bridge so buses, commuters and emergency services can be part of a fully integrated transport network solution around the whole of South West London.

Cllr Ron Mushiso

ron.mushiso@hounslow.gov.uk

07976 702887

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2024

Thursday, 15th February 2024 at 7:00pm Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Tuesday, 20th February 2024 at 7:00pm Cabinet

Tuesday 27 February 2024 at 7:30pm Borough Council budget-setting meeting

THEN:

Tuesday 26 March 2024 7:30 pm

Tuesday 21 May 2024 7.30pm

(The Annual Statutory General Meeting of the Borough Council)

6th Floor, Hounslow House, 7 Bath Road, Hounslow TW3 3EB

Open to the Public

CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLOR SURGERIES

Chiswick: Every Saturday from 9.30am to 10.30am at Chiswick Library (the eight Conservative councillors take this surgery in turn).

Gunnersbury: First Saturday of the month from 10am to 11am at The Gunnersbury Triangle Club, Triangle Way, off The Ridgeway, W3 8LU (at least one of the Chiswick Gunnersbury ward councillors takes this surgery). 

CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLORS and CONTACTS

Chiswick Gunnersbury (was Turnham Green) ward

Cllr Joanna Biddolph joanna.biddolph@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 703446

Cllr Ranjit Gill ranjit.gill@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 702956

Cllr Ron Mushiso ron.mushiso@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 702887

Chiswick Homefields ward

Cllr Jack Emsley jack.emsley@hounslow.gov.uk 07977 396017

Cllr Gerald McGregor gerald.mcgregor@hounslow.gov.uk 07866 784821

Cllr John Todd john.todd@hounslow.gov.uk 07866 784651

Chiswick Riverside ward

Cllr Gabriella Giles gabriella.giles@hounslow.gov.uk 07966 270823

Cllr Peter Thompson peter.thompson@hounslow.gov.uk 07977 395810

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