Bristol: York Road to close amid fears New Cut wall could fail

Emergency works are set to close a busy road in the city amid fears a river wall could fail.

Bristol City Council has announced that a 395ft (120m) stretch of York Road on either side of Langton Street Bridge – commonly known as the Banana Bridge – will close next Monday.

It added that electronic sensors showed that the movement of a masonry wall along the New Cut of the River Avon was accelerating and could fail “unless urgent action is taken”.

With the work to be carried out in two stages, York Road will be closed for up to 12 weeks.

Councilor Ed Plowden, chairman of the transport and connectivity committee, said the work was “vital”, adding: “If it is left any longer, there is a risk that this section will fail with serious consequences.”

He also drew a parallel with the “very serious” collapse on Cumberland Road in January 2020, which led to years of repairs.

Langton Street Bridge itself is seven weeks into an 18-month restoration programme, which will remain fully closed throughout.

Emergency work on the wall along York Road would include placing one-tonne bags along the riverbank to “reduce tidal pressure on the wall”, the council said.

It was designed to secure the wall until long-term work could be carried out, it said.

To allow heavy lifting equipment to work in the area, York Road will be closed in two phases.

The first will see St Luke’s Road to the Bath Bridges roundabout closed for six weeks, while the second will see the section between St Luke’s Road and Spring Street closed for a further six weeks.

The council said it would sign diversion routes, but added that people should factor the closures into their journeys and avoid surrounding streets.

Residents along the road will still have access and the closures will not affect businesses near the Bath Bridge roundabout.

Pedestrians and bicyclists will also still be able to use the trail, officials said.

To carry out the work, the council said four plane trees would need to be felled or cut back “under the guidance of environmentalists”.

They were to be replaced with new trees as part of planned long-term permanent repairs, the authority said.

Mr Plowden said it was “always a last resort to remove any trees”.

“We have asked the team to make every effort to work around the street’s valuable trees,” he said.