Bristol footbridge to reopen in March after being closed for over two years

The bridge has been closed since October 2023 for a major refurbishment

Sparke Evans Park Bridge in Bristol(Image: Bristol City Council)

A busy bridge over the River Avon in Bristol is finally due to reopen in March after being closed for more than two years. The Sparke Evans footbridge links the Paintworks Development on the Bath Road with Sparke Evans Park in St Philips and was supposed to reopen last October.

The six-month delay was blamed on the ramp leading from the park up to the bridge. While repairing and refurbishing the bridge, contractors found the ramp was in “extremely poor structural condition” and needed to be replaced.

The ramp was also too steep for modern standards, making accessing the bridge too hard for people on bicycles and wheelchairs. Leading councillors at Bristol City Council faced questions about the delay during a meeting of the member forum on Tuesday, January 13.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Andrew Varney said: “Sparke Evans Footbridge, a vital active travel link for Brislington residents, was due to reopen in October 2025 following two years of refurbishment. Unfortunately, it is still closed.

“The ramp is incredibly steep and as a cyclist, you really have to have a run up to get to the top. So it must have been realised that the ramp was non-compliant.”

However the ramp was in an even worse condition than expected. The new replacement ramp meant that contractors had to carry out new ground investigations and detailed design, and then get approval before construction could begin. This also needed new piles installed and a new ramp made before it could eventually be put in place.

Green Cllr Ed Plowden, chair of the transport policy committee, said: “Once they had actually done the work, the ramp was in a worse condition than they expected. I know it’s not great for the immediate residents. I myself a few times have been trying to cycle across that bridge and thought ‘oh no’ and had to turn around. So I apologise to residents for the inconvenience.

“We’re going to have a really good, well-maintained bridge and that ramp which is compliant, not only for bikes and disabled people. I think it’s a really good news story and that will be there for years and years and decades to come. A couple of extra months will lead to a much better outcome overall.”

Several other bridges are also being repaired and refurbished across the New Cut at the moment. The Vauxhall Bridge in between Southville and Spike Island is still closed, as is one of the bridges next to the Louisiana pub connecting Wapping Road and Commercial Road. One of the Bath Road bridges was also recently refurbished and then fully reopened.

Cllr Plowden added: “We’ve managed to bring in some of the other bridges under budget. We’ve actually pioneered a new way of working over the last 18 months.

“Rather than finding something on site, going away and doing a load of design and coming back while nothing happens, we’re dynamically working with the contractor in a much more positive way, to make the bridge restoration and repair programme across the New Cut deliver more quickly and more cheaply.”