Meeting focuses on future of flyover following closure

Over 100 local people filled the gymnasium at West London Free School in Hammersmith's Cambridge Grove on Saturday, January 14 to hear a panel

Residents will have the chance to put questions to TfL’s director of public affairs and stakeholder engagement, David McNeill, about the road. Cllr Nick Botterill, deputy leader of H&F Council, will also be there, as will Mary Macleod, MP for Brentford and Isleworth.

The meeting comes as TfL partially reopens the bridge to light traffic, and says it continues to work around the clock to fully reopen the bridge to all traffic within the next four months.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson visited the structure recently to inspect the ailing flyover, and Hammersmith & Fulham Council is continuing to call for the repair works to be completed as soon as is safely possible and for planning on a longer term replacement to the flyover to start immediately.

Secretary of State for transport, Justin Greening MP, is meeting with the council on Friday, January 13 to discuss the situation.

Cllr Botterill said: " Progress needs to be fast and the problem must be solved as soon as possible.

“This closure has not only been terrible for H&F, but also for the whole of London. This is one of the capital's busiest roads, with 90,000 vehicles passing over it every day, and the closure is causing traffic chaos, far and wide.

“The repair works may not be a long-term solution to prolong the life of this 50-year-old structure and we need to plan in earnest for the future. Local people and H&F Council need to be at the heart of any future plans for a replacement, being central to the decision making process right from the start.

" We simply cannot leave such a vital part of our economy vulnerable again and need a fool-proof scheme."

January 13, 2012