RE: Hammersmith Flyover re-opens (partly)
RE: Hammersmith Flyover re-opens (partly)
Friday 13th January 2012

Hammersmith Flyover re-opens (partly)

Only one lane and no HGVs, but it's definitely a move in the right direction...



At last, some good road-related news: the A4 at the Hammersmith flyover reopened at 0430 this morning, after being closed on 23 December last year.

Not all is yet well with the 1960s concrete structure, however, as the re-opening is only for one lane each way, and HGVs and coaches are still unable to use the road.

The 90,000 drivers who use the route daily are still advised to avoid the area if possible, however (not always easy if you have to drive pretty much anywhere in west London), as with one lane open traffic flow is still severely restricted.

The strengthening work will continue for the next four months, but Transport for London has promised that it will be completed well ahead of the Olympics. We very much hope that proves correct.

Read more about the problems of mid-20th century concrete roads in our feature here

Author
Discussion

SonnyM

Original Poster:

3,472 posts

210 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
The only thing I have to say about that pic is try going down there at 7k rpm in a Porsche with PSE on - it sounds EPIC!

:P

OdramaSwimLaden

1,971 posts

186 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
They should just open it fully and have a disclaimer saying, "There is a 1 in a 1,000,000 chance you will crash and die if you use the flyover. If you do not accept the risk, please come off at the next exit".

Sorted!

cybersimon

199 posts

186 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
OdramaSwimLaden said:
They should just open it fully and have a disclaimer saying, "There is a 1 in a 1,000,000 chance you will crash and die if you use the flyover. If you do not accept the risk, please come off at the next exit".

Sorted!
I don't like those odds, It comes off in the movies.
"There's a One In A Million Chance - but we just might make it"
. . . and they generally do.

Hellbound

2,514 posts

193 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
They'll get the work done. These two articles will be forgotten. The end.

PH should learn from The Daily Fail when writing stories. Next time try and work terrorists into the headline.

Something like this;

'Terrorists Plot to Bomb Road Network and Ruin Olympics'.

See, that was easy. Lot's of hits from that sort of stuff. Actually regret writing that, I know it'll turn up on the Daily Mail site sooner or later!

sixspeed

2,061 posts

289 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
SonnyM said:
The only thing I have to say about that pic is try going down there at 7k rpm in a Porsche with PSE on - it sounds EPIC!

:P
Actually, I would say underneath the A4/M4 flyover further back towards Ealing is better for this wink

Longer for a start.

carreauchompeur

18,224 posts

221 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
It's a worrying trend. These 60's flyovers are quite common and are invariably fairly strategic parts of the road network.

If the Cumberland Basin system in Bristol has to be substantially repaired it'll mean utter chaos for months.

P7ULG

1,052 posts

300 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
Hellbound said:
They'll get the work done. These two articles will be forgotten. The end.

PH should learn from The Daily Fail when writing stories. Next time try and work terrorists into the headline.

Something like this;

'Terrorists Plot to Bomb Road Network and Ruin Olympics'.

See, that was easy. Lot's of hits from that sort of stuff. Actually regret writing that, I know it'll turn up on the Daily Mail site sooner or later!
PS: Also try and include Katie Price or any Z list celebrity from TOWE etc.

B10

1,340 posts

284 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
Is it purely cost that dictates the use of mild steel over stainless steel for such structures used to reinforce the concrete?

School boy

1,006 posts

228 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
Boring.... Wanted them to demo it and do a complete rebuild to see some good construction machinery!

collateral

7,238 posts

235 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
TheRestoftheCountry said:
:shrug:

BMWill

447 posts

196 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
2 lanes with coaches and hgvs and one lane with cars only is basically the same thing really...

Hellbound

2,514 posts

193 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
P7ULG said:
PS: Also try and include Katie Price or any Z list celebrity from TOWE etc.
TOWE? Pah, a true fan would know it's TOWIE! biggrin

JonnyFive

29,678 posts

206 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
School boy said:
Boring.... Wanted them to demo it and do a complete rebuild to see some good construction machinery!
Also did think the same thing.. Wanted to see some nice new roads built.

Granted I live 30 miles from the road so don't deal with the traffic every day hehe

galt

16 posts

187 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
Today, on the way from the Airport I drove over the flyover. One lane in each direction was blocked and there was not a single person working on it. Anyone familiar with London knows this is typical--that is for a road to be closed or blocked with nobody working on it in the middle of a work day.

My question is: why do people tolerate this? Why start a project if it can't be worked on every day? Surely the value of the time wasted by people stuck in traffic, and the wasted burned fuel must far exceed the cost of having the work done in 24hour shifts as is done in many (most) other major cities when roadwork is being done on a key route....

JonnyFive

29,678 posts

206 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
galt said:
Today, on the way from the Airport I drove over the flyover. One lane in each direction was blocked and there was not a single person working on it. Anyone familiar with London knows this is typical--that is for a road to be closed or blocked with nobody working on it in the middle of a work day.

My question is: why do people tolerate this? Why start a project if it can't be worked on every day? Surely the value of the time wasted by people stuck in traffic, and the wasted burned fuel must far exceed the cost of having the work done in 24hour shifts as is done in many (most) other major cities when roadwork is being done on a key route....
I thought the reason they've only opened one lane to limit the amount of traffic/weight on the bridge?

collateral

7,238 posts

235 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
JonnyFive said:
galt said:
Today, on the way from the Airport I drove over the flyover. One lane in each direction was blocked and there was not a single person working on it. Anyone familiar with London knows this is typical--that is for a road to be closed or blocked with nobody working on it in the middle of a work day.

My question is: why do people tolerate this? Why start a project if it can't be worked on every day? Surely the value of the time wasted by people stuck in traffic, and the wasted burned fuel must far exceed the cost of having the work done in 24hour shifts as is done in many (most) other major cities when roadwork is being done on a key route....
I thought the reason they've only opened one lane to limit the amount of traffic/weight on the bridge?
IME slower traffic tends to be more closely packed scratchchin

Audi/BMW/RRS joke goes here

1878

824 posts

180 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
carreauchompeur said:
It's a worrying trend. These 60's flyovers are quite common and are invariably fairly strategic parts of the road network.

If the Cumberland Basin system in Bristol has to be substantially repaired it'll mean utter chaos for months.
But Bristol isn't in London so it will never make the news in our London-obsessed media.

bigandclever

14,080 posts

255 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
JonnyFive said:
galt said:
Today, on the way from the Airport I drove over the flyover. One lane in each direction was blocked and there was not a single person working on it. Anyone familiar with London knows this is typical--that is for a road to be closed or blocked with nobody working on it in the middle of a work day.

My question is: why do people tolerate this? Why start a project if it can't be worked on every day? Surely the value of the time wasted by people stuck in traffic, and the wasted burned fuel must far exceed the cost of having the work done in 24hour shifts as is done in many (most) other major cities when roadwork is being done on a key route....
I thought the reason they've only opened one lane to limit the amount of traffic/weight on the bridge?
That may well be the case, but from my window I can see some bloody big holes in it - yesterday there were 3 blokes stood in one of them 'pondering'.

Lakelord

1,756 posts

221 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
I travelled in to Hammersith last weekend and have to say, I've never had an easier journey. No traffic at all. I guess everybody must be giving it a wide berth but keep it closed if it improves congestion, that's what I say.

TNH

590 posts

164 months

Friday 13th January 2012
quotequote all
[redacted]