Hammersmith Flyover closes for 23 hours for repairs

Engineers will need to continue strengthening work in 2013, said TfL

The Hammersmith Flyover in west London is to be closed for 23 hours while strengthening cables are installed.

Transport for London (TfL) said it would close the road at 18:00 BST and reopen one lane at 17:00 BST on Sunday to enable the "critical works".

Serious congestion was caused when the A4 route, which is used by about 90,000 vehicles a day, was closed earlier this year due to structural damage.

Only one lane has been open to light vehicles since January.

TfL apologised and said the flyover would be fully open in early June, ahead of the Olympics.

The flyover was closed for three weeks because a steady seepage of salt water into the structure had weakened the 1960s-built structure.

The strengthening works, which began in January, have seen about 200m (650ft) of the central reservation along the flyover removed, a new structural slab and concrete barriers installed, as well as tailored anchorages for the new cables installed within the structure.

Engineers now need to install new cables above and below the bridge deck.

The road has to be closed to set the correct tension.

It will be closed again from 18:00 BST on 28 April until 17:00 BST on 29 April.

TfL said it would return to the structure in 2013 for more strengthening work which will be carried out, where possible, with no weight or lane restrictions and minimal closures to the flyover.