Hammersmith Bridge foil-wrapped to keep it cool amid fears of cracking

Hammersmith Bridge is wrapped in foil to keep it cool amid fears of it cracking in soaring temperatures

• Grade II-listed bridge in London was fully closed in August 2020 with fractures
• Chains anchored to the river bed are to be kept under 13C (55F) in the summer
• As temperatures soar, engineers say they’ll shut it if chains reach 18C (64F) 

As temperatures soar and the nation swelters, Hammersmith Bridge needs to be kept cool amid fears of it cracking.

To help it do that, the chains of the 135-year-old bridge were yesterday wrapped in giant pieces of reflective insulation foil which reflect the sun and stop it absorbing heat.

The chains are anchored to the river bed and regulated to be kept under 13C (55F) in the summer. If any of them reach 18C (64F), safety engineers will shut the bridge.

As temperatures soar and the nation swelters, Hammersmith Bridge needs to be kept cool amid fears of it cracking – To help it do that, the chains of the 135-year-old bridge were yesterday wrapped in giant pieces of reflective insulation foil which reflect the sun and stop it absorbing heat 

The Grade II*-listed bridge in west London was fully closed in August 2020 when micro-fractures in its cast-iron pedestals widened during a heatwave. It reopened in 2021 but only to pedestrians and cyclists. It is currently undergoing major repair works costing an estimated £140million.

Engineers installed a £420,000 temperature control system to keep the bridge at a safe temperature. But the current weather is so extreme that the extra measure of wrapping the bridge in the foil was deemed necessary.

A council spokesman said: ‘As part of the works, the cast iron cladding has been dismantled leaving the chains exposed to sun. The reflective insulation is a temporary measure before scaffolding is erected around each pedestal in the next phase of works.’

The chains are anchored to the river bed and regulated to be kept under 13C (55F) in the summer. If any of them reach 18C (64F), safety engineers will shut Hammersmith Bridge

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