Dukes Meadows Footbridge is a

pedestrian bridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

beside the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district in West London, split between the London Borough of Hounslow, London Boroughs of Hounslow and London Borough of Ealing, Ealing. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist Wi ...

in West

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Opened in 2023, it allows the

Thames Path The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from one of its sources near Kemble, Gloucestershire, Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 ...

on the north bank at Dukes Meadows to follow the river without diversion. The bridge was designed by Moxon Architects as a "half through" truss structure. The footway is of stainless steel and aluminium. Planning permission for the design was granted early in 2019. CampbellReith were the consulting engineers for the bridge's structural, geotechnical, environmental, and civil engineering, with marine engineering by Marmus, electrical engineering by Slender Winter Partnership, and environmental consultancy by Thomson. Construction was by Knights Brown.

Requirement

Before the bridge was constructed, people using the

on the north bank of the River Thames at Dukes Meadows, Chiswick were unable to cross the line of the railway near the river. Instead, it diverted some 300 metres northwestwards to the nearest tunnel under the railway embankment. It left the river to run parallel to the railway along The Promenade by the railway's eastern side, returning parallel to the railway on Dan Mason Drive by the railway's western side. The footbridge connects the Thames Path on either side of the railway, allowing the path to follow the river without diversion, and in the words of the London Borough of Hounslow's report ''Duke's Meadows Regeneration'', "removing a frustrating dog-leg along the scenic walking and cycling route." Because

Barnes Railway Bridge Barnes Railway Bridge is a Grade II listed railway bridge in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and the London Borough of Hounslow. It crosses the River Thames in London in a northwest to southeast direction at Barnes. It carries the S ...

is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

historic structure, it could not be used as a support, so the footbridge was required to have its own independent support structures, with the footway passing below the northern span of the railway bridge. The bridge is to be open to pedestrians and to users of

wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...

mobility scooter A mobility scooter is an electric personal transporter used as mobility aid for people with physical impairment, mostly auxiliary to a powered wheelchair but configured like a motorscooter. When motorized they function as micromobility de ...

s and pushchairs.

Design

File:Pump and Pilings for Thames Path footbridge pier under Barnes Railway Bridge.jpg, Pump and pilings for downstream pier, April 2022 File:Dukes Meadows Footbridge newly-cast concrete footings.jpg, Newly-cast concrete footings for downstream pier The bridge was designed by Moxon Architects as a "half through" truss structure. The diagonal braces are angled to allow people on the bridge to see the river as much as possible while crossing. The part of the footway in line with the river is supported by two cylindrical piers in the riverbed, one upstream and one downstream of the existing railway bridge. The west and east approaches are supported between those piers and two end piers on the riverbank. The piers are cylinders of steel-reinforced concrete. The footway structure is of

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

and

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

. Planning permission for the design was granted early in 2019, with strong local support. CampbellReith served as consulting engineers for the bridge's structural, geotechnical, environmental, and

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

. Marine engineering was provided by Marmus, and

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

by Slender Winter Partnership. Environmental consultancy was by Thomson.

Construction

File:Dukes Meadows Footbridge - ramp span in place.jpg, Ramp span in place, August 2022 File:Dukes Meadows Footbridge - welding ramp span to main span.jpg, Welding ramp span to main span File:Dukes Meadows Footbridge west span ready to fit.jpg, West span ready to fit Construction was by Knights Brown.

Project management Project management is the process of supervising the work of a Project team, team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project initiation documentation, project documentation, crea ...

and

quantity surveying In the construction industry, a quantity surveyor (QS) is a professional with expert knowledge of construction costs and contracting. Qualified professional quantity surveyors can be known as Chartered Surveyors (Members and Fellows of RICS) in ...

was by Currie & Brown. The diagonals for the main span, originally designed as solid struts, are hollow, reducing material usage and lightening the structure. The main span of the bridge was floated in at high tide on pontoons in July 2022; it was designed to settle into position on its footings when the tide went down. The bridge was completed in 2022, and opened on 13 January 2023. File:High tide and Storm Henk floodwater up to decking of Dukes Meadows Footbridge.jpg,

High tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

and

Storm Henk A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm) ...

floodwater up to the bridge's decking, 2024

References

External links

{{Chiswick Pedestrian bridges in London Buildings and structures in Chiswick