Hammersmith and Fulham council has accepted that it cannot fund a £300m full restoration – or replacement – of Hammersmith Bridge, but will instead seek funding amounting to approximately a quarter of the value of the government’s non-existent “Structures Fund” for a partial fix.
A report to the council’s cabinet says:
The Hammersmith Bridge restoration works are extensive. They essentially require a brand-new bridge to be built as all of the Grade II listed heritage structure needs to be replaced or strengthened or restored. The cost of a full restoration of Hammersmith Bridge to allow its use for motor vehicles is now estimated to be £300m.
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Following discussions with the DfT, it is recommended that the Council submits a bid for a phased repair focused on the most critical life-expired elements of the structure, with the immediate aim of keeping the bridge open and safeguarding access for pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic. The DfT has confirmed its preference for this phased repair bid to the Structures Fund. There is no financial option available that would allow its full restoration.
In three separate places, the report gives the value of the Structures Fund as “£1bn”. This is inaccurate: as I have written extensively, the fund does not have a fixed amount and is to get an unstated (and possibly undecided) share of the £1bn with local authority road upgrades.
This matters when:
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Transport Insights 