A road near Bristol’s Banana Bridge will close next week for emergency work after fears arose that the river wall could fail.
Emergency work starting on Monday (8 July) will close the A370 York Road either side of Langton Street Bridge, also known as the Banana Bridge because of its shape and colour.
Bristol City Council said the work arose as part of its ongoing multi-million pound programme to stabilise the most at-risk river walls along the New Cut of the River Avon,
It said electronic sensors are showing that movement of a 120-metre stretch of masonry wall near the bridge is speeding up, and the river wall could fail if urgent action is not taken.
The council has programmed in emergency repairs to the wall on the York Road side of the New Cut, either side of Langton Street Bridge,
The footbridge itself is currently closed for repair work as part of the council’s programme to restore six bridges across the New Cut.
New cut river walls near the Langton St Bridge. Image courtesy of Griffiths
Emergency works include placing one-tonne bags along the bank of the river to reduce the tidal pressure on the wall. The council said this will help to secure the river wall until long-term works are carried out.
Due to the size of the lifting equipment needed to carry out the emergency works, part of York Road will need to close for up to twelve weeks from Monday.
The council said that to gain access to the embankment, four London planes trees will need to be felled or pruned back ‘under the guidance of ecologists’.
Any trees lost will be replaced with new trees as part of the long-term permanent repairs, it added.
Ed Plowden, chair of the council’s transport and connectivity committee, said: ‘If left any longer, there is a risk that this section could fail, leading to severe consequences.
'We've already seen a very serious collapse like this on Cumberland Rd, which increased the remediation costs and the time needed to complete repairs.’
The council said permanent repairs are estimated to take up to two years to complete, and include:
- installing a sheet-piled retaining wall at the top of the bank to stabilise York Road
- building a concrete piled wall behind the existing river wall
- planting trees and vegetation along the 120-metre section of stabilised embankment.
The council’s contractor, Griffiths, will carry out the works.
