A bridge near Bristol city centre is set to close for up to two years from next month for refurbishment works. The Bathurst Swing Bridge, one of two bridges that cross over the Bathurst Basin on Commercial Road, will close from Monday, March 3.
The closure is part of Bristol City Council’s rolling programme of repairs to bridges along the New Cut. The programme, of eight bridges in the Harbourside area, is set to cost £16 million.
Bathurst Swing Bridge carries road traffic and pedestrians from Wapping Wharf and Cumberland Road, to Commercial Road. The bridge, which was built in 1905, has metal sides and is now set in a fixed position.
During the bridge closure, temporary traffic lights will be in operation on Cumberland Road and Commercial Road, allowing two-way traffic on the other bridge, which runs alongside Bathurst Swing Bridge. The traffic lights will be manually operated during peak times.
Work is expected to take up to two years to complete. But the council has said the timetable of works will depend on what condition the bridge is in, which is is only possible to assess this when the decking is removed.
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The restoration work will include:
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Removing the concrete decking and timber footpath
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Covering the bridge and grit blasting the paint and corrosion off
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Assessing the condition of the bridge and designing the tailored repairs
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Repairing the bridge’s structure using bespoke parts that need to be specially fabricated off-site
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Repainting and weatherproofing the bridge
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Adding a high friction road surface and road markings
The work will cost around £1.3 million, to be funded by the government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, secured by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority. Signage will be installed in the area and letters will be sent to local residents and businesses in the run-up to the bridge closure.
Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of the transport and connectivity committee, said: “Following an inspection of the structure, we have moved the Bathurst Swing Bridge repairs to the top of the list of our New Cut bridges programme of work, as it is badly corroded and could become unsafe if we don’t act soon. Luckily, we have enough contingency in the £16 million budget to add it to our New Cut bridges restoration programme.
“It’s the first time in around 25 years that this historic bridge will have any major work done to it, and it is thanks to our focus on Bristol’s harbourside infrastructure that we have mobilised quickly to get the repairs booked in. I would like to thank everyone again for their patience while we work to restore our city’s historic bridges and make sure these vital connections are safeguarded for the future. Thankfully, as it has a new bridge immediately alongside, we can minimise disruption.”