The money will be spent over the next five years
File image of road closure sign(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach Plc)
Roads across Bristol are set for a £21-million investment over the next few years with work including fixing potholes and repairing bridges. Later this week Bristol City Council ’s transport policy committee is due to approve spending the money on a variety of improvements.
Priority will be given to roads with bus routes, cycle routes and near hospitals and schools. Elsewhere, the works include inspecting and repairing the Frome culverts, a series of large tunnels which carries the River Frome under the city centre.
Councillors on the transport committee will vote on approving the investment on Thursday (May 14). A committee report set out the details of the spending, including how much would be spent on each individual project over the next five years.
The report said: “The annual road maintenance programme focuses on preventative maintenance, to stop or slow down the wear and tear of the road. The plan includes both routine repairs and full replacement at key locations.
“This work is essential to meet the council’s legal duty to maintain safe roads. The programme represents a significant capital investment intended to maintain essential highway infrastructure and reduce long‑term liabilities.”
The Netham Lock bridges, at the eastern end of the Feeder Canal, play an important role in Bristol’s flood defences. A recent inspection found that one of the bridges might need to be fully replaced, while the other bridge needs structural repairs.
Vehicle safety barriers will also be repaired. These make sure vehicles stay on the road, stopping them from driving up over embankments or falling vertical drops on to railway lines or into the harbour. Seventy-seven of these sites urgently need inspecting, repairing or replacing.
Repairs to the New Cut walls, including along York Road, will continue. The money included in this pot of funding won’t cover the whole cost of the extensive repairs, but the council is exploring other ways of paying the repair bill.
The work is needed to stop the river walls from crumbling, which is particularly important given the main roads on either side.
If the spending is approved, then this year £3.3 million will be spent on annual road maintenance, with £1.75 million annually the next four years. £1.4 million will be spent on repairing the Netham Lock bridges this year. £1 million will be spent inspecting and repairing the Frome culvert this year, with £500,000 annually the next four years.
Repairing highway retaining walls will cost £250,000 annually over the next four years. Bridge inspections will cost the same amount too, apart from in 2029–30 when £500,000 is planned. Repairs for vehicle restraint sites will cost £475,000 this year then £250,000 next year. Upgrading highway electrical assets will cost £500,000 this year then £250,000 next year.
And £3 million will be spent from this pot of money this year on repairing the New Cut walls. Also including in the package of funding is £325,000 this year for upgrading the electrics at Queen Square, so large events there can be powered without using polluting generators.