Hammersmith Bridge Refurbishment

• Location: Hammersmith, London
• Client: Transport for London
• Partners: Costain; Freyssinet; Alan Baxtet; HTA; Socotec; Nash Maritime
• Year: Ongoing
• Sector: Highways & Transportation |
• Specialisms: Asset Management | Civil Engineering | Bridge Engineering | Construction Design Management | Digital Engineering & BIM | Geotechnical Engineering | Highways Engineering | Transport Planning |

This project comprises concept and detailed design for strengthening and refurbishment of the Hammersmith Grade-ll* listed historic suspension bridge in London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The concept design covered entire bridge elements, initially focusing on critical bridge elements requiring immediate attention. Successful completion of this work was followed by the detailed design of more critical elements where early intervention is required with the ultimate aim of extending the service life of the bridge by 60 years.

What we are doing

As commissioned by TfL we prepared concept and detailed design for the refurbishment and strengthening of the Hammersmith Suspension Bridge, including:

• Hammersmith Bridge Strengthening Concept Design;
• Hammersmith Bridge Advanced Works Detailed Design;
• Hammersmith Temporary Footbridge Design;
• Hammersmith Emergency Works Detailed Design.

The detailed design included strengthening of the main cast iron support pedestals along with bearing replacement at both the pedestals and intermediate towers, followed later by emergency works frame support to pedestals. We used LAM, BIM and complex FE modelling in our design. In addition, we undertook:

• Inspections, site surveys and investigations (Geotechnical, utilities, environmental, ecological, topographical);
• ECI engagement with contractors and specialists;
• Stakeholder consultations and engagement with TfL, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Historic England, Port of London Authority, Environment Agency and London Borough of Richmond upon Thames;
• Costing estimating and WLC;
• Design of adjacent temporary footbridge over River Thames;
• Planning application;
• Emergency works.

Pell Frischmann has been appointed as Principal Designer to implement CDM Regulations for Hammersmith Bridge.

Outcomes so far

We provided optimum, value for money design based on practical safe solutions that were both economic and buildable using the latest 3D modelling and FE technology to produce reliable outcomes.

A range of key investigations were undertaken to reduce and mitigate project risks and save time and money, and buildability has been improved through extensive ECI and engagement with specialists developing reliable cost estimates and construction programmes.

• Adopted effective collaborative stakeholder consultations/management, to reach agreement with key stakeholders such as LBHF, Historic England, PLA and other Councils;
• Competed planning application submission support for the temporary footbridge;
• Managed possible project risks improving functionality, buildability and cost.

Stuart Cox, Pell Frischmann’s Transport & Land Development Business Unit Director, said:

We are delighted to have led this project in protecting a significant bridge structure in Hammersmith which forms a key part of the engineering heritage of London. Bringing to bear state of the art engineering to help save this historic bridge is an achievement that the team can be righty proud of.

We’d love to hear from you!

To find out more about Hammersmith Bridge, please contact us through our form here.