Drivers are being warned the main route between South Bristol and the rest of the city will be closed for the entire weekend, as the final phase of work to repair the busiest bridge in the city is completed.
Avon Bridge, which carries the A3029 Brunel Way from Ashton Gate to the Cumberland Basin and Hotwells, will close northbound for all traffic from 6pm on Friday - and stay closed until 6am on Monday morning.
The closure will see a diversion route set up for traffic heading towards Hotwells and the Portway, and it will be along the A370 Coronation Road to Bedminster Bridge, then back along Cumberland Road to the Cumberland Basin.
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When the southbound side of the bridge was closed a couple of weekends ago, it brought gridlock to large parts of the city, from the Portway to Ashton Gate and Bedminster.
Bristol Bears rugby team are playing at home on Saturday, with the game against Saracens kicking off at 5pm. Fans attending are being invited to get there early - from 2pm with a ‘fireworks spectacular’ planned from 4.45pm, and the live music in the Lansdown Stand concourse after the game. Fans heading back over the river after the game are being warned to expect delays getting back across the Avon with the closure of the bridge affecting northbound traffic.
The work to Avon Bridge is being undertaken by Bristol City Council contractors, to refurbish and replace the bridge’s four road expansion joints, as well as re-waterproofing the concrete deck and replacing the road surface. The work initially saw the bridge’s dual carriageway cut to one lane in both directions for a month from September into October, then the southbound side of the bridge was closed completely for a weekend from October 21 to October 24.
Since then, there has been further issues - a small section of the road surface above the expansion joints is ‘showing signs of stress’, according to Bristol City Council, so the northbound side has been cut to one lane for the past few days.
When the work is completed by 6am on Monday, November 7, the entire bridge should be be open with no more roadworks planned there for a while at least.
Avon Bridge was found to be in a ‘very poor condition’ when it was inspected last summer, and the future of the Brunel Way as it passes over both the Avon Bridge and Plimsoll Bridge over the Cumberland Basin is in serious doubt. The council’s transport boss, Cllr Don Alexander, said it was ‘reaching the end of its lifecycle’.
“Refurbishing Avon Bridge is essential to protect the structure from further water damage and keep the structure operational as it reaches the end of its lifecycle,” he said. “Brunel Way is a major route, so we’ve worked hard on a plan to keep the bridge open as much as possible throughout the works. However, they are likely to delay people as they travel through the area, so we are suggesting finding alternative routes and hope that everyone bears with us while we repair this important bridge,” he added.
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