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HAMMERSMITH BRIDGE SUMMARY REPORT ON BOMB DAMAGE June 2000 At 4.30am on Thursday 1st June 2000 an explosive device detonated underneath the Barnes span of Hammersmith Bridge. The bridge was immediately closed to all traffic and pedestrians whilst police searched the area for further devices. Following the police's thorough forensic search of the area, representatives for Hammersmith and Fulham where given access to the bridge, initially in the early afternoon on 1st June for safety checks, and then late on Friday evening. Hyder Special Structures carried out an initial inspection of the damage at 9.00am on Saturday morning. This summary report highlights the findings of that inspection and makes recommendations as to how the Council may proceed to ensure the bridge can be fully reopened to traffic and pedestrians in the shortest possible time. The bridge has sustained severe local damage in the area around where. the device was planted. This area is located under the road near the Barnes abutment, on the east side. The bomb was placed at the end of a cross beam, which directly supports the carriageway. The primary structural effect of the blast was to punch a hole through the web of the crossbeam, the hole being about 500mm long by 300mm high. The- connection of the cross beam to the rest of the bridge structure is also badly damaged, including the bottom section of the suspension hanger. A short length of the adjacent longitudinal truss has sustained damage, including the loss of a stiffener and some local distortion. Temporary safety propping has been installed under the cross beam and longitudinal truss in these damaged areas. The heavy timbers supporting the road running surface appear to have suffered superficial damage only. There is some minor cracking in the carriageway surfacing at the joints between the new steel roadway plates. Five footpath panels on the cast side were completely dislodged by the blast. Several panels on the west side moved slightly: these have been refixed and the footpath reopened at 1.00pm on Saturday. Although the damage is severe, it is restricted to a relatively small area and there is no danger of the bridge collapsing as the structure is still capable of carrying its own weight. The damage to the cross beam, longitudinal truss and hanger is such that the weight of any traffic on the road above cannot be safely carried, and hence the bridge must remain closed to vehicles. Further detailed examination needs to be carried out with the possible - use of ultrasonic and other techniques to check for any hidden defects caused by the device, as not all of the damage will be immediately apparent. This will require the services of a specialists in blast damage and material testing. It is the desire of the Council to reopen the bridge fully as soon as is practical. However, a number of interim measures are being reviewed to determine whether motorcycles and bicycles or buses can be allowed to cross the bridge. These include upgrading the temporary propping below the bridge, and providing temporary Bailey bridges spanning across the damaged area. It is proposed to let the construction contract on a partnering basis, whereby all parties are encouraged to work together in a spirit of mutual trust and co-operation. This will enable the design of the repair to be developed in parallel with the practical requirements of the fabrication and installation methods of the Contractor. Team meetings will be held regularly to ensure progress of the work. A preliminary programme has been established, which anticipates that the bridge should reopen to traffic by the end, of August 2000. Once the full extent of the, required work is established and a contract is let this date can be confirmed. It should be noted that the west footpath will then have to be closed to carry out repair work arising from an impact from a river vessel in March 2000, which had originally been programmed to commence during early July. |
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This page was last updated on 12/09/00
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