New cycle and pedestrian lanes at Hammersmith Bridge have been completed after the bridge was fully closed in 2020 on safety grounds.

A £2.9 million grant from the Department for Transport (DfT) has enabled the bridge to receive new decking, which now features three separate lanes and 1.2-metre-wide anti-terror barges.

There is a dedicated lane for cyclists travelling north, another for cyclists travelling south, and a third two-way pedestrian path. The outer footways will also remain open to pedestrians only.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council (H&F) is also trialling shuttle services on the bridge for disabled residents and young children.

Councillor Sharon Holder, Cabinet Member for Public Realm, said: "We are grateful to the DfT for the grant funding that has enabled us to re-open the main carriageway with new decking as well as carrying out the essential work to support the hangers."

In addition, the DfT has also granted Hammersmith & Fulham Council £4.7 million for works to support the bridge's hangers, which connect the deck to the suspension chains.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council has spent a total of £48 million restoring and maintaining the safety of Hammersmith Bridge since August 2020, when it was fully closed on safety grounds.

As part of the restoration works, engineers have removed more than 1,000 old decking and footway panels from the main carriageway.

They replaced all the worn wooden deck boards, repaired several bulk timbers that support the decking, resurfaced the carriageway and walkways, and installed anti-terror safety measures on the historic bridge.

The first phase of stabilisation works at the bridge have been completed (credit: Hammersmith & Fulham/Flickr).

Engineers also strengthened all four corner cast-iron pedestals with fibre-reinforced concrete, after planning the process off-site using a replica pedestal.

Customised steel frameworks were installed to support the bridge's structure during the jacking operations.

To create the frames, the steel was imported in 29 giant sheets and then cut into 1,220 pieces.

The bridge was then lifted off its original Victorian bearings using a hydraulic jacking system.

This allowed engineers to replace the seized bearings with modern rubber ones, ensuring the bridge can now respond safely to temperature changes and movement.

Stabilisation works had to be carried out after H&F Council revealed fractures in the cast-iron pedestals — key components that hold the suspension system of the bridge in place.

This was the first phase of the complex and unprecedented work required to fully restore the historic bridge.

However, the council says the bridge remains "sub-standard" and will still require ongoing monitoring and significant maintenance to remain open.

H&F and the DfT are currently considering a range of options and engineering solutions for the long-term future of the bridge.

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