'Banana bridge' reopening after year-long closure

The bridge has been repainted and repaired at the cost of £1.4m

Bristol's so-called "banana bridge" will reopen at midday after £1.4m in repairs.

Langton Street Bridge - given its nickname because of its shape and colour - was closed to pedestrians and cyclists in May 2024.

The bridge's structure, masonry and decking have been repaired and a handrail installed.

Its renovation was paid for from a £16m fund secured from the previous government for a programme of eight bridge repairs along the New Cut of the River Avon.

Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of Bristol City Council's Transport and Connectivity Committee, said he was "delighted" the bridge is reopening.

"The refurbishment has safe-guarded this Grade II listed structure for many years to come," he added.

The "banana bridge" crosses the Avon New Cut near Temple Meads

The council said the work had been completed five months earlier than scheduled, though the road closure on York Road continues while the sides of the New Cut are shored up.

A group of local residents said a better approach to maintaining the bridges would be more monitoring of potential problems, to avoid so many routes over the river being shut for so long.

Ed Hall, from Friends Of The New Cut, said: "They've not maintained this. They've allowed trees to grow along the edges of the New Cut.

"These bridges are the major carbon-free ways that thousands and thousands of people use to cross the river."

Bristol City Council has been contacted for comment.

Ed Hall believes the bridges should be monitored more carefully

The following bridge works have been completed as part of the project:

• Langton Street Bridge, finished in 2025

• New Brislington Bridge on Feeder Road, repaired in 2024

• Gaol Ferry Bridge, completed in 2023

The following work is still ongoing:

• Bathurst Swing Bridge was closed in the spring and will be shut for up to two years

• Sparke Evans Parke Bridge linking Paintworks with Avonmeads was shut in October 2023 for up to two years

• Vauxhall Bridge closed in October 2023 for up to three years

The following repairs are still to come:

• Bath New Bridge, twin crossings on Bath Bridges Roundabout near Temple Meads

• Bedminster Bridge, twin crossings which form a roundabout