A key river crossing from South Bristol into the city centre won’t reopen until the autumn at the earliest, after the condition of the historic bridge was found to be much worse than first thought.
The Gaol Ferry Bridge, from Coronation Road in Southville to Wapping Wharf on Spike Island, has been closed since late last August for a restoration and repair job, and was supposed to be reopened within six to nine months.
But now, Bristol City Council transport chief Cllr Don Alexander has confirmed that the steel work on the bridge’s piers are in a much worse condition than previously thought - and it’s likely it will take at least another three months to fix - possibly more.
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Cllr Alexander said the contractors hired by the council to do the job will step up the speed of their work, and could be on the bridge in the evenings and at weekends, but he added another three months minimum to the job, which would take it to the end of August, or early September.
Sharing pictures of what contractors Griffiths found when they stripped off the paint from the 88-year-old suspension bridge, Cllr Alexander said if the state of the bridge hadn’t been discovered now, it could have ended up with the bridge failing and being shut down completely.
Since the closure of the Gaol Ferry Bridge on August 22, businesses in Wapping Wharf have spoken out about the economic impact of not being on a main pedestrian and cycle thoroughfare from South Bristol to the town centre anymore.
“It has been a complex process to plan as each stage of the repairs can only be finalised when the structure is fully revealed,” said Cllr Alexander. “Now Griffiths are in a better position to see the scale of what repairs are needed. Having removed the decking and started the process of stripping off the paint and corrosion, they were on programme. Unfortunately it has become clear that the bridge is in a worse condition than we had thought.
“After nearly a century, the steel work is especially degraded around the southern pier (tower). In some places, it has become paper thin. Without extensive repairs it could fail, as the pictures show. We cannot let that happen, and remain committed to restoring this ageing infrastructure,” he said.
The contractors have only managed to discover the ‘paper thin’ state of the metalwork of the south tower, but they said they suspect the north side to be just as bad. Overall, the project will now take at least a year, and cost £1.5 million to complete - the original budget was around £1 million.
“This will mean the bridge would be temporarily closed for up to a year overall, provided no other structural issues are uncovered. I am sorry this is not better news. I know this will come as a blow to the thousands of people who use this popular foot and cycle bridge and to the nearby businesses, especially the traders at Wapping Wharf,” Cllr Alexander said.
“We are doing all we can to drive the project forward at pace, while ensuring safe working at height above the river. We are pleased to have agreed continued weekend working during sociable hours, as it will help keep the works on track,” he added.
“Although hugely disappointing, it’s important to keep sight of the fact that without these repairs Gaol Ferry Bridge was on course to being structurally unsound and would have had to close permanently,” he warned. “As a lightweight suspension bridge, it was not originally designed to carry quite the number of people who, up until its temporary closure, used it each day to cross between South Bristol and this part of Spike Island.
'Need for new bridge'
“After we have invested in fixing existing structures, I think it is only right that the city considers the need for another nearby foot and cycle bridge across the New Cut. As Bristol continues to grow, to 550,000 residents by the middle of this century, that would help better distribute the load and relieve the pressure on the 60 metre span of Gaol Ferry Bridge.
“In the meantime, we will continue to make sure these essential works are completed in the shortest possible time, and people will need to carry on using the diversion routes across Vauxhall Bridge or Bedminster Bridges.
“We will continue to support Wapping Wharf traders, making sure they are promoted along the diversion routes as well as supporting them through promotional campaigns. We have previously directed the businesses to where they can find out about rates relief while the bridge is temporarily closed, and will carry on issuing fortnightly briefings about the works and answering any questions they might have,” he added.
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