Hammersmith Bridge

Hammersmith Bridge
Coordinates	51°29′18″N 0°13′49″W / 51.48833°N 0.23028°W / 51.48833; -0.23028
Carries	A306 road
Crosses	River Thames
Locale	London, England
Maintained by	Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council
Preceded by	Barnes Railway Bridge
Followed by	Putney Bridge
Characteristics
Design	Suspension bridge
Material	Steel, wrought iron, cast iron, plywood
Pier construction	Stone
Total length	700 ft (210 m)
Width	43 ft (13 m)
Longest span	400 ft (120 m)[1]
No. of spans	3
Piers in water	2
Clearance below	3.5 metres (11 ft) MHWS[2]
No. of lanes	2 (motor vehicles)
History
Designer	William Tierney Clark (first bridge) Joseph Bazalgette (current bridge)
Constructed by	Dixon, Appleby & Thorne (current bridge)
Construction start	1825 (first bridge) 1884 (current bridge)
Construction end	1827 (first bridge) 1887 (current bridge)
Construction cost	£80,000 (first bridge) £82,117 (current bridge)
Opened	6 October 1827; 196 years ago (1827-10-06) (first bridge) 11 June 1887; 136 years ago (1887-06-11) (current bridge)
Inaugurated	6 October 1827 (first bridge) 11 June 1887 (current bridge)
Rebuilt	1884–1887
Closed	10 April 2019; 5 years ago (2019-04-10) (motor vehicles)
Statistics
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name	Hammersmith Bridge
Designated	12 May 1970; 54 years ago (1970-05-12)
Reference no.	1079819
Location

Hammersmith Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the River Thames in west London. It links the southern part of Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, on the north side of the river, and Barnes in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, on the south side of the river. The current bridge, which is Grade II* listed and was designed by civil engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette, is the second permanent bridge on the site,^[3] and has been attacked three times by Irish republicans.

The bridge was closed indefinitely to all motor traffic in April 2019 after cracks were discovered in the bridge's pedestals.^[4] The closure was extended to pedestrians and cyclists between August 2020^[5] and July 2021 when limited use resumed. In October 2022, Hammersmith and Fulham Council agreed to lodge a planning application to temporarily double-deck the bridge to speed up its restoration, with the council's construction and ongoing operation and maintenance costs set to be eventually funded by tolls.