News / bristol and bath railway path
Work starts on Bristol & Bath Railway Path improvements
The sound of a wood chipper greeted families out on a half term walk on the Bristol and Bath Railway Path on Monday morning.
It marks the start of work on a raft of changes spearheaded by Sustrans that are set to improve accessibility and make the popular route more inclusive along some of its busiest sections.
The path was closed from the Russell Town Avenue entrance to just past Easton Community Centre on Monday morning, with a diversion in place.
is needed now More than ever
Rolling closures and diversions across affected sections are expected to be in place for up to two weeks for the work, which includes the creation of a new, flat communal space by Easton Community Centre and more separated walking and cycling paths at busy sections.
Temporary closures and diversions are in place on sections of the Bristol & Bath Railway Path – photo by Ellie Pipe
General maintenance work, including some tree felling, is taking place at the same time. Sustrans has committed to planting 250 trees to mitigate the impact of this and bosses say the plans have been designed to minimise disruption to nature, using construction methods that will ensure the protection of tree roots, while preserving local wildlife and ecological habitat.
Speaking when details of the changes were revealed earlier this month, James Cleeton, Sustrans’ south of England director: “With so many people using the path in so many different ways, creating a balanced design that improves things for everyone has been a big challenge. Our hope is that this redesigned section of path is one that will now be far more inclusive, accessible and enjoyable for the many types of uses, now and in the future.”
Full details on closures and diversions are available via www.bristol.gov.uk/streets-travel/bristol-bath-railway-path-closure
Read more: Major changes to Bristol and Bath Railway Path revealed
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
