London - Hammersmith Flyover
Transport for London has been forced to keep the vital A4 Hammersmith flyover closed for further inspections because of serious corrosion of steel supporting cables.
Problems with external concrete sprawling have been known about for several years, but engineers have called for extra time to assess the extent of damage within the 900m bridge structure.
The flyover was closed on 23 December due to concerns about a serious structural defect.
Since engineers and contractors have been working round the clock on a detailed investigation.
They hope to decide shortly on what remedial action needs to be taken and when the flyover can safely be reopened to traffic.
The damage to the aging 1960′s structure has been caused by water ingress, including salt water due to grit laid during the winter months, which has corroded and weakened supporting cables.
Engineers on-site continue to build a full picture of the condition of the complex and aging bridge structure, with much of the work taking place inside the structure.
TfL said that it was exploring all options to reopen the flyover to traffic as soon as possible, but must await the outcome of further work to test the extent of the problems found in the structure.
TfL is also actively working on the design of a solution to strengthen and extend the life of the flyover over the longer-term, by introducing additional cables into the structure.
Leon Daniels, TfL’s Managing Director of Surface Transport, said: “Our team continues to work night and day alongside the world’s leading structural engineers to fully understand the extent of the flyover’s structural problems.
“I have been inside the flyover and seen for myself the unique issues we face,” he explained.
“Safety must be our top priority and we have not taken the decision to close the flyover lightly.
“However, we are working flat-out to determine what measures we must put in place to safely reopen the flyover as soon as possible.”
SOURCE: http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2012/01/03/serious-corrosion-keeps-a4-flyover-closed
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[...] As we posted last week, the Hammersmith Flyover, which carries 90,000 vehicles a day on the A4, the road between central London and the West, including Heathrow airport, has been closed for two weeks after serious defects were found in the 50-year-old structure. Major traffic congestion is already being caused, which is likely to increase when many schools go back this week. [...]