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Hammersmith Bridge closed to motor vehicles "indefinitely"

Here's a suitable bridge design to replace it.

Bridge%204.jpg
 
Good point actually; concrete architecture doesn't have to consist of hulking monolithic blocks, towering over the surroundings like an abstract sculpture of a stony thunderhead. You can still have arches and columns and vaults and domes.


And it’s lasted quite a lot longer than this bridge :)
 
Major disagree. When done right it's as durable as all hell, which is precisely what you want in transport infrastructure.

Personally I think concrete can also look great (Brutalism is underrated), but that's secondary to its unmatched utility.

NINTCHDBPICT000426632593.jpg
 
So it’s nearly November and as well as Hammersmith Bridge’s closure, which is the only one that can’t be helped or rushed along, London and Vauxhall Bridges remain closed to traffic, and Wandsworth Bridge still has a lane restriction for good measure because fuck you road users.

Went to Watford and back on our motorbike today and witnessed long tailbacks on both Battersea and Chelsea Bridges. Felt sorry for the poor bastards on both cars and buses trying to cross those bridges, not to mention people living along those routes.
 
Hammersmith Bridge is the spiritual omphalos of London and the fulcrum of its principal axis, which runs east to west and not north to south as supposed by the ignorant.

To the west lies the Arcadian Thames and the English Dream-time of houseboats, Eel Pie Island, to the east the City and eventually the wider world. The bridge also made important appearances in Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective and the end credits of Minder.

Demolishing Hammersmith Bridge would be sacrilege.
 

I still don’t see why they cant knock it down and then reconstruct it so it looks aesthetically the same but is actually built stronger to withstand proper traffic.

If it means demolishing it for a short time then fine.
 
And Minder’s a red herring here, have you tried watching it recently? Hasn’t aged well I’m afraid...

Yes but I don't care. I haven't aged well either. :bigeyes:

ETA: George Cole is still a pleasure to watch as is Patrick Malahide as the well-observed sarcastic DI Chisholm: "Perhaps you'd like a lift to the station in one of our special cars with the flashing blue light on top."
 
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