Hammersmith Bridge shut due to heatwave cracks

The bridge was closed to motorists in April 2019 after faults were found in the cast iron casing.

Now the 133-year-old bridge has also been closed to pedestrians and cyclists following ongoing monitoring by specialist engineers.

Hammersmith Bridge and the heat

Hammersmith Bridge is a cast iron structure designed and built by Sir Joseph Bazalgette.

The bridge had been badly maintained for many years. The structural integrity review quickly began to find decades of unchecked corrosion riddled throughout.

It found that important mechanisms on the bridge had seized up years earlier causing the suspension structure to cease to operate as it had been designed to – causing other problems elsewhere in the machinery.

Last year, using the latest technology, it discovered dangerous micro-fractures in the cast iron pedestals that hold the suspension structure in place.

These unchecked structural failures compromised the flexibility of the suspension chains over previous years and caused the micro fractures.

During the recent heatwave contractors have done everything they can to reduce the temperature of the bridge – including hosing down the bridge pedestals and chains with cold water.

Specifically, the suspension chains are affected by extreme temperature changes. This past weekend when we experienced heat above 30 degrees, engineers worked around the clock to cool the chains and the foundation pedestals to prevent the bridge from failing.

updated: 14/08/2020