Computer-generated image of the temporary bridge
Transport for London is considering plans to construct a temporary walking and cycling bridge while Hammersmith Bridge undergoes repair work.
The temporary 7m-wide structure would be made from prefabricated steel, supported by two piers in the river Thames.
Location of the proposed temporary bridge
It would be step-free, with a 5.5m-wide surface for people walking and cycling, with access by shallow ramps from Queen Caroline Street on the north bank and close to the junction of Castelnau and Riverview Gardens on the south bank.
Kier began work on the £25m first phase of repair work to the 133-year-old Hammersmith Bridge last year. The total cost of works to the bridge is unknown, with estimates running as high as £120m because of the complexities of working on such an old structure.
A horse and cart with passengers crossing Hammersmith Bridge during the Victorian era
The bridge has been closed since April last year, when several hairline microfractures were discovered in the cast iron casing around the pedestals that have held the suspension chains in place since 1887. Cast iron can shatter, which is one of the reasons this is the only bridge of its kind in the world.
