It is the first in a series of road closures ahead of the opening of a big new school
The road will be closed for almost three weeks(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The main road through Knowle West has been closed this morning and will remain closed for three weeks, to allow council contractors to install new crossings and other improvements connected with the opening of a new secondary school in the area.
Traffic along Daventry Road, the main spine road through Knowle West from Broadwalk to Filwood, is being diverted from today, February 19, with drivers sent on a road between Melvin Square and Broad Walk Square via Ilminster Avenue and Salcombe Road.
Two bus routes – the 16 and 36 – will be diverted too, and the closure means bus stops at St Barnabas Close are out of action.
The three-week closure is scheduled to run until 6pm on Friday, March 6, council contractors ETM have said.
“All services will be diverted from Melvin Square via Ilminster Avenue and Salcombe Road to resume normal route at Broad Walk Square in both directions,” a spokesperson for First Bus West of England said.
“Regretfully the St Barnabas Close bus stops for services 16 and 36 will not be served in either direction and passengers are advised to board or alight at either Melvin Square or Broad Walk Square. The bus stop on Broad Walk Square roundabout will be observed towards Melvin Square,” they added.
The Park Centre, which is based in part of the old Merrywood School building, has advised people that the entrance on Daventry Road is out of reach for the time being.
“ If you’re driving to The Park, please adjust your route and approach from Broadwalk,” a spokesperson for the community centre said. “There may be occasional short delays where access is temporarily limited.
“The usual Park Centre entrance will be maintained throughout the works. These essential works are taking place as the new school build approaches completion – an exciting milestone for the community.
A general image of Daventry Road in Knowle West(Image: Google Maps)
“We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience and understanding while this work is carried out,” they added.
Last autumn, Bristol City Council announced plans for major changes to the road layout on Daventry Road and the surrounding roads, as the opening of the new Oasis Academy secondary school nears.
The measures will involve other roads being closed around the school site area later this year. The council is putting down double yellow lines around the junction of Newquay Road and Teignmouth Road to improve visibility, installing ‘raised tables’ – road humps – at junctions around the new school site, including the junctions of Ilminster Avenue and Connaught Road and Tavistock Road, Teignmouth Road and Newquay Road, on Daventry Road at the entrance to the new school, and on the junction of Kenmare Road and Daventry Road.
There will also be new speed cushions along Newquay Road to reduce vehicle speeds, and more pedestrian crossing points on Daventry Road to make it safer for pupils to walk to the school.
While Daventry Road is closed now for three weeks, other roads in the area are set to close this spring and summer, ahead of the school opening in September.
READ MORE: New South Bristol secondary school delayed for another year
Newquay Road is set to close for five weeks in April, Daventry Road could close again for a fortnight in May, Teignmouth Road is set to close for four weeks from July 6, with Connaught Road and Tavistock Road closing for a week or two in August.
The new school site, which could see up to 900 secondary school pupils attend, has been delayed by a couple of years due to construction issues, but could open in September this year. The school itself opened in 2023 for Year 7 pupils and has been based at a temporary site in the grounds of Oasis Academy John Williams in Hengrove.
If the school does successfully open in September, or later in the next school year, the pupils who first joined the new school will go into the new building as Year 10 students.