And Putney’s Labour MP will be leading a rally this weekend to raise awareness of the delay in repairing the historic bridge, which runs between Hammersmith and Barnes.
Local Conservatives say a temporary, military-style bridge could be built slightly upstream of Hammersmith Bridge within months, allowing engineers to carry out repairs without cyclists and pedestrians using the ageing structure, the Standard has reported.
They argue the temporary crossing would give engineers greater freedom to fix the 139-year-old bridge, which has been closed to motor vehicles since April 2019 after cracks were discovered in its pedestals.
Another option being floated by the Conservatives is dismantling the historic bridge entirely and repairing it on dry land before reinstating it.
The proposed temporary crossing, which could be tolled, is expected to cost between £10 million and £20 million and would need to be strong enough to carry buses. It would also require the temporary use of part of the playing fields at St Paul’s School.
The Conservatives say the move could significantly speed up work on the existing crossing, where repairs are expected to cost at least £300 million and take a minimum of five years.
Reopening Hammersmith Bridge to traffic is likely to become a major issue in May’s local elections, with Labour bracing for losses across the capital.
Hammersmith and Fulham Conservative opposition leader Councillor Jose Afonso said disputes between the Department for Transport, Transport for London and the council over funding had stalled progress.
“The costs for reopening Hammersmith Bridge have soared, while agencies are locked in squabbles over who pays,” he said. “Given the national fiscal situation, we should admit the current solution is dead in the water and look at an alternative.”
Opposition deputy leader Cllr Adrian Pascu-Tulbure added that a temporary military-style bridge “could have been operational in months and saved tens of millions”.
The Conservatives say that if they take control of the council in May, they will launch an open competition for engineering firms to propose solutions to restore a traffic crossing.
Meanwhile, Putney Labour MP Fleur Anderson is stepping up pressure for action, leading a rally this weekend and raising the issue in Parliament earlier this month.
Fleur Anderson MP (Image: London Portrait Photoqrapher-DAVID WOOLFALL)
She warned that commuter services in Putney have been “extensively disrupted” by the six-year closure.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander acknowledged the disruption and said the Hammersmith Bridge taskforce would meet soon to discuss next steps.
Funding hopes have also been raised by a new £1 billion national infrastructure fund, while Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has urged the Government to step in and resolve the impasse.
Hammersmith Bridge dates from the 1880s and designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, who is also responsible for much of London’s sewer system. The bridge rests on the same pier foundations constructed an earlier William Tierney Clark structure from the 1820s.