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Joint statement on progress made by the taskforce at its meeting on 3 June 2021.

The latest meeting of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce was held on 3 June 2021.

It was chaired by Transport Minister, Baroness Vere. Attendees included the Project Director Dana Skelley, along with representatives from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF), the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, the Greater London Authority, Transport for London (TfL) and the Port of London Authority.

Dana Skelley, speaking on behalf of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce, yesterday said:

At last week’s taskforce meeting we confirmed the immediate next steps following the latest extraordinary TfL funding deal announced on Tuesday 1 June 2021. As set out in the TfL funding deal, the Department for Transport, TfL and LBHF will now develop a memorandum of understanding in relation to funding the project. The taskforce awaits a decision from LBHF on its preferred engineering solution for stabilisation, what this will cost and how LBHF’s contribution will be funded.

The group also discussed the potential protocols which will be implemented if the Case for Continued Safe Operation Board agrees to a limited and controlled reopening of the bridge to pedestrians, cyclists and expanded river transits in July. Engineers plan to meet in the coming days to discuss this in more detail.

The taskforce also heard the latest progress being made by TfL on the Hammersmith ferry service. TfL confirmed its aim for the ferry to be operational by late summer, subject to the appropriate planning and consent processes. This will provide a link across the river, independent of the bridge, that will remain open during any closures for works on the structure. Taskforce members shared the public concern to see the ferry up and running by late summer but noted and agreed the need for all procedures to be followed fully, to ensure public confidence in the ferry’s operation and that all decision-making is in line with the statutory processes.