AN ICONIC motorway route used by 90,000 Brits a day is being demolished under new plans.
The council say that it has been examining ways to improve the flyover area since emergency repairs were carried out in 2011-12.
An iconic motorway route used by 90,000 Brits a day is being demolished under new plans[/caption]
Hammersmith and Fulham Council has revealed it wants to demolish the A4 flyover that passes in front of Hammersmith tube station.
There has been talk about improving Hammersmith town centre by burying the flyover in a tunnel for over ten years.
Now, the council is set to propose a new local plan and part of that could include a road tunnel to replace the Hammersmith flyover.
The council has been examining ways to improve the flyover area since emergency repairs were carried out in 2011-12, and it believes a tunnel would be viable.
The council’s draft plans explain that the removal of the Hammersmith Flyover would free up land for development and reconnect communities separated by the road.
They explained it has “had adverse consequences, cutting off Hammersmith Town Centre from the River Thames, severing the traditional Victorian street pattern.
“Creating large amounts of traffic moving around the Hammersmith Gyratory to get on and off the A4.”
The plan to demolish the flyover is part of the council’s bigger long term local plan.
They propose that releasing the land by burying the A4 in a tunnel would create opportunities to reconnect Hammersmith Town Centre to the River Thames.
They believe it will also open up opportunities for development, which could help fund the proposed tunnel reports Timeout.
The possibility of tunnelling the A4 may also open up opportunities to replace the current one-way road system at street level.
However, the report warns that there may be a small risk that traffic currently using the A4 would be displaced into neighbouring areas but have warned against this.
If the plan goes ahead it is expected that traffic along the A4 will likely be disrupted for approximately 18 months.
The draft plan states: “Any project that comes forward will need to carefully consider this in detail against the construction methodology and design of any tunnel to ensure these impacts are minimised.
“This will also have to be weighed up against a do-nothing scenario, which would involve substantial traffic disruptions associated with regular maintenance or upgrading of the flyover.”
However, the proposal explains that building a tunnel would free up land for development while improving the quality of the town centre by removing high levels of noise and pollution.
Examples of potential development include new homes and cultural and leisure facilities, plus upgrades to St Paul’s Green and Furnivall Gardens.
If the proposals are approved by the council cabinet next week, it will be followed by a public consolation – so nothing is set in stone yet.
