Busy Bath road to close overnight this summer
It's so Network Rail can repair a bridge in the city centre
More roadworks will come into force in Bath this summer, but the good news is they'll only be in place overnight.
Network Rail says it needs to carry out essential repairs to the Claverton Street railway bridge which goes over the A36 right by Bath Spa station.
Work will start on 20 June and last until 16 October.
Mike Contopoulos is the project director.
“The Claverton Street railway bridge is a significant piece of rail infrastructure that carries around 17,500 rail passengers in, out and through the city of Bath each day," he said.
"Now it needs important repairs to extend its lifespan and structural integrity.
“To carry out this work safely, we need to close the road underneath the bridge and for that we apologise for the disruption this will cause road users.
“We are aware of the impact a traffic diversion will have in such a busy city centre location and we have limited our working to overnight shifts to minimise disruption to road users as far as possible.
"Some of our work may be noisy at times and we again apologise if any nearby residents are affected by this work."
As part of the work, which Network Rail says will cost £800,000, engineers will be working throughout evenings both trackside on the top of the bridge, and from the road underneath the bridge grit-blasting (a process which involves forcibly propelling abrasive material against a surface at high pressure) and repairing metalwork, before applying a protective layer of paint.
Brickwork repairs will also be completed to sides and support structures of the bridge.
So the work can be done safely the A36 at Churchill Bridge roundabout will need to be closed to all eastbound and southbound traffic from 7pm to 6am between 20 June and 16 October seven days a week.
Between 20 August and 9 October Network Rail’s engineers will only be working trackside each Saturday evening meaning the road closure on Saturdays will differ, lasting between midnight and 7am.
During the work a diversion route will be in place as follows:
All northbound traffic including access to the A4 London Road, A46 and M4 motorway will travel via Green Park Road and Charles Street to Queen Square, and then via Gay Street and George Street onto the A4 The Paragon.
All eastbound traffic including access to Bathwick, Bathampton and Warminster, will travel via the A3039 Dorchester Street and Manvers Street to North Parade before turning left onto the A36 Pulteney Road (South).
All southbound traffic including access to the A367 Wellsway to Radstock and Midsomer Norton will travel via the A3039 Dorchester Street and Manvers Street to North Parade before turning right onto the A36 Pulteney Road (South).
All Westbound traffic towards Keynsham and Bristol leaving the city centre will either follow the southbound diversion before travelling onwards via the A36 Lower Bristol Road, or travel out of Bath via the A4 Upper Bristol Road.
"Network Rail has worked closely with the Council and other businesses and stakeholders in the city to identify any largescale events that would be significantly impacted by this work and has adapted its programme and agreed to stand down work on a number of dates to accommodate these events," a statement from Network Rail reads.
This includes for the Michael Bublé concerts at the Royal Crescent on July 15 and 16, the Bath Boules event on July 22-24 and the Fantastic Food Festival on July 29-31.
“We will be doing all we can to complete this work as quickly and quietly as safely possible, and we would like to thank residents, businesses and road users in advance for their patience and understanding," Mr Contopoulos said.
Local residents and businesses with any queries or concerns regarding the work taking place are encouraged to contact Network Rail’s 24-hour national helpline (03457 11 41 41) or visit www.networkrail.co.uk/contactus
It comes as another major route in Bath, Cleveland Bridge, remains shut to normal traffic for repair work there.
That bridge was originally supposed to reopen in November 2021 but remains shut to private cars after contractors found hidden and unexpected damage to the structure.