Construction of the first stone bridge over the Thames took more than 30 years to complete. For context, this was the late 12th century and King Henry II sought to fund the building with taxes on wool and sheepskin.
Fast forward the best part of a millennium and it can feel as if little has changed. The continued closure of Hammersmith Bridge is a national embarrassment. The crossing is a vital transport link for the capital. Residents and businesses rely on it to travel around the city. Its closure is a misery for locals and a daily blow to our post-pandemic recovery.
Prior to the pandemic, 20,000 vehicles a day crossed Hammersmith Bridge and roughly 4,000 are now forced to divert to Putney Bridge, leading to worse congestion and pollution in what is already one of the city’s toxic air hotspots.
Fleur Anderson, Labour MP for Putney, has secured a Commons debate on the debacle. We welcome her attempts to raise this with ministers and hope it will convince Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to make the reopening of the bridge the priority it should be.
Mr Shapps, the Mayor and local council must get on with agreeing a funding deal and urgently fixing this crucial blocked artery.
