Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce meeting, 25 March 2021
Joint statement on progress made by the taskforce at its meeting on 25 March 2021.
The latest meeting of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce was held yesterday (25 March 2021).
It was chaired by Transport Minister, Baroness Vere. Attendees included the Project Director Dana Skelley, plus representatives from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF), the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, the Greater London Authority, Transport for London (TfL) and the Port of London Authority.
Dana Skelley, speaking on behalf of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce, said:
At yesterday’s taskforce we were glad to be joined by representatives from Fosters & Partners and COWI who presented the initial results of the feasibility study into their proposal for a temporary bridge. Officials and engineers from LBHF, TfL and DfT will join me in interrogating the project plan, the costings and the timeline as quickly as possible so that it can be compared alongside current proposals. A decision on the route forward will then be able to be taken.
The group noted that the inspection of the bridge’s western pedestals had now been completed by LBHF’s engineering consultants Mott MacDonald. We look forward to receiving Motts’ report on this work.
The Taskforce also heard the latest from TfL regarding the procurement for the temporary ferry service. We expect TfL to make a further announcement on the service in the coming days.
Lastly, we were pleased to note agreement has been reached to extend the window for controlled river transits. The river community can expect to receive further communication from the Port of London Authority shortly.
The Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce was set up by the Department for Transport in September 2020 to work towards safely reopening the Hammersmith Bridge.
The taskforce is chaired by Baroness Vere and includes representatives from TfL, LBHF, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Network Rail, the Greater London Authority and the Port of London Authority.