News / Bristol
Two bridges too far
As one bridge prepares to reopen in Bristol, another is being demolished.
After months of delays, Prince Street bridge is due to reopen to pedestrians and cyclists on Monday.
But more testing of the structure will have to take place before the scaffolding is removed and the bridge can be reopened to southbound traffic out of the city.
is needed now More than ever
………………………..
Read more: ‘The Prince Street bridge saga has seriously damaged business’
………………………..
The southbound-only traffic route is likely to be in place until at least summer 2018.
Bristol mayor Marvin Rees, who put himself in charge of the city’s transport issues after sacking former transport supremo Mark Bradshaw in March, will then review the usage of the bridge.
The temporary walkway will not be removed as soon as Prince Street bridge is reopened to pedestrians and cyclists
Across town, demolition work has started on the pedestrian footbridge above Old Market roundabout and the former escalators at either side.
The bridge was constructed in 1968 at the same time as the Temple Way underpass was excavated, bisecting Old Market Street.
Accessed by steps or by escalators housed in the ugly bookend-like buildings, it was at the time the only way for pedestrians to cross the eight lanes of traffic.
Subways – filled in with concrete in 2015 – were also constructed for pedestrians to cross under Old Market Street on either side of the underpass, but neither bridge nor subways proved popular with pedestrians.
With its impending demolition, Bristol will also lose one of the last reminders of the planned ‘city in the sky‘, an ambitious scheme to keep pedestrians on a raised level above cars.
The Old Market bridge was intended to be one of the main entries entries to the scheme, with an elevated walkway still leading from the bridge to the back of the Marriott hotel.
https://www.facebook.com/bristol247/videos/10154897362729807/
.
There it would have connected with the footbridge over Lower Castle Street to Castle Park, and then to a network of elevated walkways extending to the centre, which were themselves demolished in 2015.
The concrete pedestrian walkway across Lewins Mead. See more photos here.
As part of the work to demolish the Old Market bridge, Temple Way and Old Market roundabout will be closed overnight on the weekend of May 27 and 28, with partial closure of the roundabout also taking place on May 20 and 21 (Saturday and Sunday night only), May 28 (daytime), June 10 and 11 (Saturday evening into Sunday evening) and June 18 (daytime).
Once demolition is completed, a bus stop will be upgraded, trees planted and a new cycle route will be created on Bond Street South:
An artist’s impression of the completed works on Bond Street South
Take part in our reader survey at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/B247 to be in with a chance of winning a meal for two
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
