Cars May Never Return to Hammersmith Bridge After £300m Restoration Shelved

The prospect of vehicles ever crossing Hammersmith Bridge again has all but vanished, after a £300million plan to fully restore the structure was put on hold because the money simply is not there.

According to a report from Hammersmith and Fulham Council, "no financial option available" exists that would fund a complete restoration of the Grade II listed crossing. The bridge has been shut to motor traffic since 2019, when cracks were discovered in its pedestals, and for the past six years only people on foot and on bikes have been allowed across.

Rather than pursue the full works needed to make the bridge safe for cars, the council says the Department for Transport (DfT) has advised it to seek a "phased repair" instead. The authority had been hoping for a larger share of a £1bn government pot earmarked for major road repairs; it will now apply to the DfT for £128m, enough to keep the bridge usable for pedestrians and cyclists.

Timing is part of the problem. The DfT fund requires schemes to be finished by 31 March 2030, and the council's report concludes the repairs required "are plainly not achievable in that timespan. Hence the decision to proceed with a phased repair bid."

The decision has drawn criticism from Fleur Anderson, the MP for Putney, who said she was "deeply disappointed" that the council had abandoned the goal of returning traffic to the bridge. "I have fought hard for the reopening and will carry on. H&F Council has already invested £54 million in repairs to ensure the safety of the bridge, and it is unreasonable to expect them to bear additional financial burdens," she said.

Who pays for the bridge has long been a source of friction. A settlement reached in 2021 split the bill three ways between Transport for London, the council and central government — but costs have ballooned since then. The council maintains it is still owed £22.9m of the £54m it has already laid out: £16.51m from TfL and £6.42m from the DfT. TfL disputes this, insisting its commitment was limited to £2.93m for stabilising the structure and that it has no funding to absorb overruns.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "The repair and maintenance of Hammersmith Bridge is the responsibility of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. We have provided £17 million to keep the bridge open for walking and cycling, and will continue to work closely with the council and Transport for London as we consider future funding through our new Structures Fund."

A TfL spokesperson said: "The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham are the owners and highway authority for Hammersmith Bridge. We continue to work with the borough, the Department for Transport and others to agree the right solution, as well as to agree how any future works to the bridge might be funded."

Hammersmith is far from the only ageing Thames crossing causing concern. TfL assessments have rated Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge and Vauxhall Bridge as being in "very poor condition", while Albert Bridge near Battersea Park has been closed to cars until next year after a crack was found in its supports.