Local news
Hammersmith Bridge: council pursues £128m phased repair, not full car reopening
Cabinet has endorsed a Structures Fund bid focused on keeping the Grade II* bridge open for pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic, while motor vehicles remain excluded.
Hammersmith Bridge remains a pedestrian and cycle crossing. Motor vehicles are still barred, and that is not about to change overnight.
In July 2026, Hammersmith & Fulham Cabinet endorsed a phased repair approach and authorised a bid to the Government’s Structures Fund — reported at about £128.05 million — with the immediate aim of keeping the bridge safely open for walking, cycling and river traffic. That is a deliberate shift away from a full restoration for motor traffic, previously costed around £300 million, which the council says cannot be delivered within the fund’s programme window.
The main carriageway was reopened to pedestrians and cyclists in April 2025 after Phase One stabilisation. Cabinet papers also approve about £1.5 million a year from 2026/27 for monitoring and maintenance of what remains an officially substandard structure, unless external funding reduces that need.
Nothing in the public papers we checked awards the £128m as construction funding yet — it is a bid. Until the Department for Transport decides, residents should treat “cars back on the bridge” claims with caution and follow the council’s own updates.