South Gloucestershire Council

Published: 04/03/2015

The bridge widening works at Teewell Hill, Staple Hill are taking longer than we anticipated and due to safety reasons, we will not be able to reopen the cycle path until late spring. We apologise unreservedly for the disruption caused to cyclists and walkers using the path.

The current situation: We have now completed three of the four concrete foundations which form the corner supports which will hold the new bridge in place. The other concrete foundation required an additional temporary access platform to be created, which we did not anticipate at the planning stage and as a result has had a knock-on effect on the timescale of the build. However, this platform has now been built and we are now able to carry out the necessary work to complete this final corner support.

Signs are in place at either end of the construction site to keep people informed of the progress and the existing diversion route is still in operation. There is also a sign which has been in place since the start of the build which refers to work taking place for 48 weeks. This is the timescale for the overall project and does not refer to the closure of the cycle path.

Why we need to keep the site closed: We have considered all the available options, including partially opening the site during peak commuter hours however because this is a construction site with heavy plant machinery in place, frequent deliveries and building work taking place it would not be safe to have the site open to cyclists and walkers at the same time. As the site is exposed to the elements, there is also a daily build-up of mud and dust which would not be pleasant to cycle or walk through. Having weighed up all the options, we will continue to keep the construction site closed, for safety reasons, until the work is completed.

What happens next: When the path reopens, all of the bridge foundations will have been completed and the new arch extensions lifted into place. We will then need to do the stone facing, approach retaining walls and surfacing activities on top of the bridge.

This will mean that there may be some short term closures especially when the new bridge is lowered into position. We will schedule this work to take place outside of peak commuter times to avoid disruption to people using the path.

We will continue to issue further updates. Once again, we apologise for any inconvenience caused.