Will London’s bridges to nowhere ever reopen?

London’s bridges are falling down – and they risk taking the rest of the city with them.

In a city this historic, it is little wonder our infrastructure is starting to crumble, but the ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ crisis is reaching a breaking point. With Hammersmith Bridge already a £250m ghost limb and Albert Bridge now abruptly padlocked to traffic, the capital’s Victorian heritage is fast becoming a 21st-century logistical nightmare.

As a result, the already clogged Putney, Wandsworth, Battersea, Chelsea and Chiswick Bridges are all going to bear the brunt of all that extra traffic.

Neither Hammersmith nor Albert Bridge can be demolished because they have Grade II listed status, but is that now becoming a curse rather than a blessing?

‘Extend the Tube across the river’

Campaigners, residents and politicians from both sides of the river are at loggerheads as the future of the bridge has been uncertain for seven years.

Locals behind the slogan ‘Hammersmith Bridge is open’ have pointed out that the bridge is not closed, it is just closed to cars.

Meanwhile, access to Charing Cross Hospital has reportedly been complicated by the axing of the bus routes, with worsened gridlock allegedly affecting Chiswick, Putney and Wandsworth.

Problems with public transport should be solved as a priority, Charles Campion, an architect from Barnes and a member of the Hammersmith Bridge is Open group, said.

He told Metro: ‘The bridge is open and more and more people are using it. But we need a public transport option. We need something now for the community and businesses.’

One of the options campaigners have proposed includes autonomous pods which would shuttle those who can’t or don’t want to pedal or walk and connect them to Hammersmith station.

Rob Noon said: ‘Pedestrians and cyclists can use it so leave it at that.’

Metro reader Jonathan Hib Bird proposed extending the Hammersmith & City line ‘south across the river instead.’ He also said an option could include building a new bridge next to the Victorian structure.

Ross Witney agreed that the £250 million price tag is worth it, adding that ‘it is a scandal that it’s taken this long and still, nothing has happened.’

Rebecca Mason suggested putting tolls on ‘all bridges west of Congestion charge zone. The money can be used to maintain all the bridges.’

Metro reader Alexnader Sutton said that while Victorian constructions like Albert Bridge are ‘pretty,’ but ‘without purpose if they no longer function for the purpose they were designed.’

Liam Downer-Sanderson, a Conservative councillor at Hammersmith & Fulham council, said the party would ‘build a temporary bridge to get buses, emergency vehicles and other traffic flowing as soon as possible,’ saying that this would be a ‘stake in the May elections.’

Fleur Anderson, the Labour MP for nearby Putney, has called for the bridge to reopen to motor traffic. Speaking at a protest for full reopening last week, she said the closure continues to impact Putney and Roehampton residents ‘every single day.’

She told The Times some residents are seeing their children less because of ‘the hours they spend in traffic.’

Campion, who is also part of Barnes Town Team, argued that the fears that business would suffer terribly’ have not materialised in the area, citing credit card data.

He labelled arguments of traffic being pushed elsewhere a ‘misrepresentation,’ claiming that traffic is down ‘even on Putney Bridge.’

‘People are looking for the perfect answer, which probably isn’t there. It is working quite well, but we need a public transport option,’ he said, adding that ‘there is a solution that can unite parties.’

Refurbishment works, and the costs, are complicated due to the bridge’s Grade II-listed status.

While it is owned by Hammersmith & Fulham council, the government is looking into an option that the council and Transport for London would each pay a third of the repair costs, while taxpayers would pay for the rest.

A spokesperson for the council told Metro: ‘Hammersmith Bridge, built in 1887, is one of the world’s oldest suspension bridges which is why it is also one of Britain’s most expensive to repair.

‘Following the submission of our bid last year, we are currently waiting to hear whether the Grade II listed bridge has been allocated money in the new £1billion Structures Fund for transport infrastructure including bridges, tunnels and roads.’

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