Historic Bristol bridge to stay closed longer than expected

An historic Bristol bridge closed for repairs will reopen a year later than planned.

Vauxhall Bridge  will not reopen until at least 2026 – the city council has announced.

The Grade II-listed structure that crosses the New Cut  has severely corroded metalwork caused by its age and bomb damage during World War Two.

The delays means the £3m budget for the works is set to increase.

Councillor Ed Plowden said replacing the bridge with a new one would add more years and cost money.

The local authority and Historic England have been working in partnership on a plan to repair the 124-year-old bridge.

The repairs are part of a £16m, five-year programme to repair six bridges that cross the New Cut at various points.

Ed Plowden said: “These bridges are coming to the end of their working design lives, so need extensive and often complex phased repairs to restore them.

“Before the structural repairs are done, it would be dangerous to add too much weight to the bridges, so all the work must be done in phases.

“This slows the overall project down and it is not feasible to reopen the bridges between each phase of work.

“I know how important it is to complete these works as quickly as possible, and I’d like to thank you all for your continued patience while we work to safeguard these vital connections across the New Cut.”