Hammersmith Bridge – Where did 25,000 vehicles go?

Summary

Paris, 15th April 2019, 6:43pm.Inside the ancient cathedral all is quiet. Afternoon light filters through the stained glass.A fire alarm pierces the silence.Within minutes, flames tear through the oak roof. Eight centuries of timber explode into an inferno visible across the city. Parisians gather on the Seine’s banks as the spire collapses through the nave in a cascade of embers.Hours later, the French President stands before the ruin: “Cette cathédrale, nous la rebâtirons.”This cathedral, we will rebuild it.On 8th December 2024, five years and seven months after the fire, Notre-Dame reopens, its spire restored, the rose windows gleaming once again.London, 10th April 2019, 3:47pm.Five days earlier, it’s a bright spring afternoon in west London.On Hammersmith Bridge, traffic inches forward, suffocated by congestion. Above, the suspension chains creak under the weight of queuing cars. Cyclists weave between wing mirrors. Beneath the footpaths, invisible cracks spread deeper into the 132-year-old pedestals.Engineers monitoring the structure see the warning signs of imminent collapse. The decision is taken: close the bridge to motor traffic immediately. Barriers go up. The traffic melts away.Six years later, Hammersmith Bridge remains closed to vehicles. The solution proposed by local authorities costs £250m and has no funding.Hammersmith Bridge (2022). SourceOne might reasonably object that comparing Notre-Dame to Hammersmith Bridge is unfair. A Gothic cathedral and a Victorian suspension bridge are worlds apart.Fair enough. Instead, consider this comparison: Hammersmith Bridge itself.In 1882, a boat struck Hammersmith Bridge causing damage that revealed five decades of deterioration. Parliament authorised a replacement in 1883 and provided for a temporary crossing. Four years later, the Prince of Wales opened a new bridge designed by Bazalgette (of London sewer fame). Cost: £83,000 (£9.5m today).In 2019, ultrasound revealed dangerous micro-fractures in Hammersmith Br...