Final push to complete Hammersmith Flyover refurbishment begins

02 July 2015

Major strengthening of the Hammersmith Flyover in west London has entered its final phase, with more than 80 per cent of the tensioning work now done and only four more weekend closures required to complete the refurbishment.

Since October 2013, Transport for London (TfL) has been working hard day and night to complete the vital refurbishment, strengthening 11 of the flyover's 16 spans after the initial five were repaired in 2012. This restoration - part of TfL's wider £4bn Road Modernisation Plan - has been primarily carried out overnight to reduce disruption to road users and residents.

Earlier this month, the last of 34 bearings underneath the flyover were replaced, allowing it to adapt to weather conditions and expand in the summer and shrink in the winter by up to 180mm. Last year, the entire flyover was resurfaced and waterproofed with a new concrete central reservation installed. A total of 6.5km of tensioning cables have now been attached and threaded through the structure - when fully tensioned they will strengthen the flyover and ensure it remains safe to use for many decades.

The final major piece of work is to replace the two five tonne expansion joints within the carriageway, which allow the structure to flex as traffic moves across it. To deliver these works there will be four weekend closures of the flyover on the dates below. The works over these weekends will only affect one direction during the day. However, there will be full closures of the flyover between 22:30 on the Saturday night and 10:00 on the Sunday morning for the first two weekends and 22:30 and 05:00 for the final two weekends to help complete these works as quickly as possible:

Friday 10 July - Monday 13 July

  • Eastbound closure (22:30 Friday to 05:00 Monday)
  • Westbound closure (22:30 Saturday to 10:00 Sunday)

Friday 17 July - Monday 20 July

  • Westbound closure (22:30 Friday to 05:00 Monday)
  • Eastbound closure (23:30 Saturday to 10:00 Sunday)

Friday 24 July - Monday 27 July

  • Eastbound closure (22:30 Friday to 05:00 Sunday)
  • Westbound closure (22:30 Saturday to 05:00 Monday)

Friday 07 August - Monday 10 August

  • Eastbound closure (22:30 Friday to 05:00 Sunday)
  • Westbound closure (22:30 Saturday to 05:00 Monday)

During the closures, traffic will be diverted beneath the flyover or onto the A40 Western Avenue, with the diversion route clearly signed.

Dana Skelley, Director of Asset Management at TfL, said: `Our work to complete the vital refurbishment of the Hammersmith Flyover is progressing really well. These final weekend closures will allow us to replace the expansion joints within the structure, which will mean the flyover will be fit to carry traffic for many years to come. Our overriding focus when planning the weekend work has been to keep disruption to a minimum and we will ensure that any affected drivers will have a clear, signed diversion route to help them complete their journey.'

The restoration of the Hammersmith Flyover forms part of TfL's wider Road Modernisation Plan. With a budget of more than £4bn, this represents the biggest investment in London's roads in a generation, including hundreds of transformational projects within the existing road network such as the refurbishment of Chiswick Bridge and the major overhaul to Vauxhall Cross. Using radical ideas and innovative designs, the plan will make London's roads greener, safer and more attractive for the benefit of all Londoners.

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Notes to Editors:

  • TfL manages and maintains twelve tunnels, as well as more than 1,800 structures on the TfL Road Network, including bridges, flyovers, footbridges, retaining walls, subways and culverts.
  • TfL has worked with key partners, including local boroughs, to ensure that the project has been planned and undertaken with the minimum of disruption to road users and residents. The works have also been coordinated around other planned events in the local area, including concerts, London Underground upgrade works and the construction of the East-West Cycle Superhighway in central London, which began in April.
  • To replace the bearings, the flyover had to be lifted on jacks to allow the old bearings to be removed and the new bearings to be installed. The jacks lift the flyover between 3 and 10mm, allowing contractors - working in a space less than 1.5m wide - to replace the bearings. The flyover then needed to be placed back into the exact position onto the new bearings.
  • TfL continues to support the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham as it works up more detailed proposals for its ambitious plans to create a new road tunnel underneath Hammersmith. Any plan to replace the flyover would need to be funded through the wider redevelopment of the area.