London bridges are falling down

It is not, as the nursery rhyme goes, that London Bridge is falling down

It is not, as the nursery rhyme goes, that London Bridge is falling down but rather that two of the 35 bridges across the Thames have had to be closed because they are at risk of collapsing. First, in 2019 it was Hammersmith bridge in west London that developed cracks which caused it to be shut. Initially all crossings were banned but now cyclists and pedestrians are allowed through. However, no funding scheme to pay for the repair has been agreed.

Then, a couple of months ago, Albert Bridge, probably London’s most picturesque as it’s sweeping beams are lit up at night, has also been found to have cracks and again only cyclists and walkers are allowed through.

There is a clue in the fact that it is cars which are bound. Both bridges date from the final quarter of the 19^th century, and were clearly not designed to cope with motorised traffic. The fact that even double decker buses and lorries could cross them was testimony to their excellent of the original engineering design but clearly these heavy vehicles have exacted a painful toll on these Victorian structures.

Given London’s affluence, it is a source of great embarrassment that Hammersmith Bridge has been closed for so long with no clear solution in sight. The bill is estimated to be a staggering £250m and it is unclear who should pay. The local authority, Labour run Hammersmithy & Fulham, which owns the bridge cannot afford such a huge sum, but nor is Transport for London, the mayor’s transport arm, willing to foot the bill as it is extremely cash-constrained thanks to being a Labour controlled authority which had to live with a hostile Conservative central government for many years which starved it of funds. But neither is the central government putting its hands in its pockets.

While local motorists may moan about the inconvenience – there are in fact several alternative bridges – other locals are silently pleased. They like the quiet streets, the lack of traffic and the fact that there is a safe cycle route across the Thames. There is a powerful minority who say it should be left as it is and for once the inertia over big infrastructure projects may be the best ultimate solution.

In the case of Albert Bridge, the bill for repairs is apparently far lower, just £9m, and the local Conservative council, Kensington & Chelsea is far too pro-motorist to take the sensible approach of simply leaving the bridge as it is. The inconvenience is far less as there are two nearby bridges which remain open whereas the alternatives for Hammersmith are rather more difficult to reach. However, despite the fact that Kensington & Chelsea is one of the most affluent boroughs in the country, and could easily pay for the repairs out of its huge contingency fund, it is seeking funding from central government or the mayor to pay for part of the cost.

The poor state of the bridges highlights a wider issue around the maintenance of road infrastructure. At the moment, too, Westway, one of London’s thankfully small number of urban motorways, is closed as two of the concrete supports need replacing after bearing heavy traffic for half a century. There is no doubt that similar schemes of that vintage will require major work in the near future and the question of who will pay for it will become a political issue given that many motorways are approaching the half century mark, In the US, the state of the Interstate network built largely in the 50s and 60s is also a cause for concern but the government is too intent on bombing other countries rather than looking after its long term assets. This failure will cost governments across the world dear in the long term.