Road closure extended to reinforce river banks

The council said the work would stabilise the river bank and future-proof it against tidal pressures

The partial closure of a busy road in Bristol is to be extended as long-term repairs are made to stabilise a river wall.

Bristol City Council said a 395ft (120m) stretch of York Road near Langton Street Bridge, locally known as the Banana Bridge, will be closed from 28 October until spring 2025.

Emergency work started in July to place more than 600 one-tonne bags on the bank of the New Cut river to prevent "imminent collapse" due to tidal pressures.

The council said the riverbanks will now be reinforced with concrete and vegetation to "safeguard York Road and the river wall for future generations".

Emergency work started in July to place more than 600 one-tonne bags on the bank of the New Cut river

The council said York Road would stay closed between St Luke's Road towards the Bath Bridges roundabout for the first stage of the work.

Once complete, the authority said the closure was due to move to the other side of the road between St Luke's Road and Spring Street.

The second stage of the repairs was expected to take up to a year to complete and would see York Road reopen to traffic, but with one side of the road remaining closed.

Councillor Ed Plowden, chairman of the transport and connectivity committee, said: "Not only is it the most efficient way to get the work done, reducing the overall length of the project, it will lower the chance of the river wall collapsing, which would cause major disruption, not to mention the very real risk to life."

The riverbanks will be reinforced using planted vegetation and concrete piled walls

Plowden added: "I understand how inconvenient the road closure is for people in the area who can't avoid the diversion and thank you for your patience so far.

"We are asking that you bear with us again as we start on the permanent repairs that will safeguard York Road and the river wall for future generations."

The works form part of a wider £11.9m New Cut river walls stabilisation initiative, aimed at securing and reinforcing high risk river walls along the section of the River Avon and protecting the transport infrastructure alongside it.