Dukes Meadows Footbridge Officially Opened
Ceremony held to finally provide access to walkway
Members of the public can now use the Dukes Meadows Footbridge
After some delay, a ceremony was finally held this Friday afternoon (13 January) to officially open the Dukes Meadows Footbridge by the Thames in Chiswick.
The formal proceedings were led by The Mayor of Hounslow, Councillor Raghwinder Siddhu formally opened the bridge with the Leader of Hounslow Council, Shantanu Rajawat. The event also included pupils from Chiswick School performing in a steel pan band and a flash mob dance. Members of the constriction team from Knights Brown were also present to see the culmination of a project they have been working on for two years.
The project, which was in large part driven by a partnership between Chiswick councillor John Todd and former Hounslow Council leader Steve Curran, provide as safe and accessible route along the Thames Path and offers new views of the Thames and the Dukes Hollow Nature Reserve. Previously, anyone walking by the river at this point had to take a detour of 500 metres crossing under the railway line by a tunnel.
The enhanced route improves accessibility and safety for pushchairs, mobility scooters and wheelchairs.
The bridge, which was initially designed by Moxon Architects and then adapted by engineering firm Cowi, has cost over £4million. It has been built so that is capable of withstanding a marine vessel colliding with it due to the force of any impact being distributed across the entire structure.
L-r - Francesca Angioi - Project Manager for Currie and Brown,
Vernon Gibbons - Project Director LBH,
Sabina Martin - Senior Project Manager LBH,
Sean Hebden - Director Knights Brown,
Mayor - Raghwinder Siddhu,
Leader of the Council - Shantanu Rajawat,
Councillor - Salman Shaheen,
Councillor John Todd,
Deputy leader - Katherine Dunne,
Councillor - Guy Lambert
A video showing drone footage of the bridge can be seen below.
Cllr Shantanu Rajawat, said, “This major construction milestone and engineering triumph is testament to years of close partnerships between Hounslow Council, our construction partner Knights Brown, and the local community - under the leadership of my predecessor Steve Curran. We also received tremendous cross-party support for this project from local ward member Councillor John Todd.
“We’re proud to offer residents a more inclusive and accessible route to the Thames Path and look forward to welcoming even more visitors to Dukes Meadows.”
Pupils from Chiswick School were among the first to cross the opened walkway
Sean Hebden, Divisional Director at Knights Brown, said, "The innovation deployed to overcome the complexities of the build and installation process are an example to us all of what can be achieved when everybody works together. The quality of the end result is something we should all be proud of.”
A steel band performed to mark the opening
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January 16, 2023