Vauxhall Bridge repairs delayed a year
The Grade II listed bridge was meant to reopen in 2025
A 124-year-old bridge in Bristol which is closed for repairs won't open for at least another three years.
Vauxhall Bridge closed last October and work was predicted to take two years, but Bristol City Council has now announced that the repairs will likely last for three years.
Inspectors will soon check two roundabouts which also run over the New Cut, as these bridges will need repairs as well. The Bath Bridges roundabout and the Bedminster Bridges roundabout are two critical ways for drivers to cross from South Bristol into the rest of the city.
Vauxhall Bridge connects Bedminster with Cumberland Road and Spike Island. Two other footbridges are also being repaired, the Banana Bridge and Sparke Evans Park Bridge.
Green Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of the transport policy committee, said: “This news will come as a blow to all the residents and businesses in the area and everyone who uses Vauxhall Bridge."
"It wasn’t until the decking and paint had been removed that we could fully see the level of damage and corrosion. It is really extensive and we are doing our utmost to save the bridge and restore it as quickly as we can.
“People may suggest removing the bridge and building a new one. However, to do so would be to destroy a Grade II listed structure that has historic value, and it would not speed up the project. It would add more years and cost more money as we would need to start from scratch to design and approve it via planning, raise millions of pounds to fund it and plan its build.
“Having considered it in the round, we feel that the best option is to continue with these works, albeit to a longer timescale than we foresaw or would have liked.”
The repairs form part of a five-year programme to repair six bridges over the New Cut.
The council began the programme in 2022 and estimates the works will cost £16 million. The Gaol Ferry Bridge, near Wapping Wharf, has already been repaired and reopened.