Traffic can temporarily cross Bristol Bridge, as works to repair Redcliffe Bridge resume following delays. Enforcement of a bus gate at the bridge started in November 2020, with 140,000 fines issued to non-compliant drivers over the next 14 months.
But the restricted route has been reopened to allow works costing nearly £3 million on Redcliffe Bridge, which has been closed to all pedestrians and traffic since August 1. Redcliffe Bridge will remain upright and impassable for around ten weeks, while its lifting mechanism is repaired.
Maps of diversion routes for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians can be found on the Bristol City Council website, which also hosts an interactive route planner for anyone who wants to plan ahead for potentially disrupted journeys.
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It says on the council website: "While Redcliffe Bascule Bridge is closed, you will be diverted across Bristol Bridge. This will temporarily allow access to all traffic following the official diversion without incurring fines.
"Pedestrians can also plan their route on this interactive map. Bus services are also being diverted during the closure."
Works on Redcliffe Bridge began in January of 2021, but stalled when a contractor appointed by Bristol City Council went into administration and ceased trading. They will involve structural, electrical and mechanical repairs aimed at reducing the need for future closures.
First opened in 1942, Redcliffe Bridge was last refurbished in 1996, when a new steel deck and electrical control system were added. It has not fully worked since 2015 and the ongoing works will modernise the complex lifting mechanism even further.
Fines issued within the first 14 months at the Bristol Bridge bus gate raised almost £3m. A total of 141,045 penalty charge notices were issued between November 2020 and February 2022, a Bristol Live freedom of information request discovered.
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