South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has today confirmed rumours that Gipsy Patch Lane will be closed to all traffic at the railway bridge for a period of four weeks this June (2019).

The news comes less than three months after council officers assured a packed public meeting that the most disruptive roadworks associated with the upcoming Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension (CPME) scheme would not commence until 2020.

The June 2019 road closure is said to be necessary for BT to carry out preparatory work to divert underground utilities.

The main CPME construction programme, which is yet to be finalised, is anticipated to include an approximate eight-month closure of Gipsy Patch Lane from early 2020 to enable the replacement of the railway bridge.

A council spokesperson said:

“Gipsy Patch Lane will be closed to all highway users, including pedestrians and cyclists, at the railway bridge for approximately four weeks from Monday 3rd June. A signed diversion route will be in place during this time. Access to properties and side roads along Gipsy Patch Lane will be maintained and no disruption to the supply of utilities is expected. Dates of the full closure will be clearly signposted to give adequate notice.”

“Undertaking the utility diversion work at this early stage reduces the overall level of disruption to Gipsy Patch Lane and will help us to ensure that the later construction work keeps to programme.”

The spokesperson added that BT is expected to commence work on Monday 25th February, but the initial phase of work is not expected to cause any disruption to road users or to the supply of BT services, although some foot/cycle paths may be affected.

Further details of the June 2019 road closure and the latest news on the overall CPME project will be published in the March issues of the Stoke Gifford Journal and Bradley Stoke Journal magazines.

More information and related related links:

• Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension (The Journal)
• Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension (Travelwest)
• Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension (SGC)

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Network Rail is warning motorists and bus passengers of a three-day closure of Hatchet Road, in the vicinity of Parkway Station, over the Christmas period. The closure is necessary because a crane needs to be positioned in the carriageway in order to install a large, new signalling structure across the tracks.

The closure will affect local traffic which normally passes under the Parkway railway bridge across all three days, and rail passengers needing to access the station on 24th December (no trains run on 25th or 26th December).

The section of road to be closed stretches from the mini-roundabout at the North Road junction, under the bridge, to the mini-roundabout at the Church Road junction.

The closure means that motor vehicles will not be able to access Parkway Station from Hatchet Road between 6.00am on 24th December until 4.30am on 27th December and will instead need to access the station from the east via Hunts Ground Road.

Walking routes will remain in place for pedestrians. Cyclists may use the walking route, but should dismount.

Public buses will not use the station bus stops during this time. Therefore, station users will need to use the bus stops marked ‘Ratcliffe Drive’ on Hatchet Road (these are the ones north of the roundabout at the junction of Ratcliffe Drive and Sandringham Road). Anyone of limited mobility who requires assistance to travel between the bus stop and the station should look out for the taxi service that will shuttle between the two locations (on 24th December only).

There will be a phone number displayed at the ‘Ratcliffe Drive’  bus stop on Hatchet Road for people with limited mobility to call should they need assistance.

More: Details of bus service diversions during road closure »

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The proposed Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension (CPME) scheme, which will see the old railway bridge on Gipsy Patch Lane replaced with a much wider concrete structure, took a major step forward in July with the approval of three of the four planning applications necessary to allow it to proceed to the next stage in its project plan.

The existing masonry railway bridge has a height clearance of only 4m and creates a ‘pinch point’ on the local road network. The replacement bridge will be of concrete construction and will span 24m, approximately 14m wider than the current bridge. To accommodate taller vehicles, such as double-decker buses, the carriageway will be lowered by around 1.7m under the bridge.

New bus lanes will also be constructed along sections of Gipsy Patch Lane, either side of the bridge.

The work will require one-way and full closures of sections of Gipsy Patch Lane, for a period of 21 months, currently scheduled to commence in July 2019.

The duration of the required full closure is now estimated at 330 days (up from the previously stated eight months), from January to November 2020.

Demolition of the existing bridge and construction of the new bridge is scheduled to take place during a twelve-day closure of the railway, most likely over Easter 2020.

Approval of the most significant of the four applications, the one for the replacement railway bridge, was secured despite planning committee member Cllr Ernie Brown (also chair of Stoke Gifford Parish Council) tabling a proposal that its consideration should be deferred “ in order that clarification and more detail is made available for discussion regarding the lowering of the road and the construction programme, and to allow further consultation to be undertaken with residents, local businesses and traders.”

More: Concerns over "long term implications" for local businesses »

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Residents living near the railway lines that run through the Stokes are being warned to expect an intensification in potentially noisy and disruptive maintenance activity as the project to electrify the Great Western mainline enters a critical phase this autumn.

The railway through Bristol Parkway will be closed between 15th September and 6th October inclusive, and again on the weekend of 13th/14th October. No trains will run via Bristol Parkway during these periods.

A Network Rail spokesperson said:

“This phase of the upgrade includes the installation of the overhead line equipment (OLE) used to hold the wires for electrification, and we will be putting up masts and wires over these three weeks in the Bristol Parkway area, from Winterbourne viaduct, through Bristol Parkway Station, up to Little Stoke, and then along the Filton East Curve.”

During these three weeks, trains will still be running, but they will be using diversionary routes. Rail replacement bus and coach services will be in place for some journeys.

Great Western Railway services between London Paddington and South Wales and Cross Country services between Bristol Temple Meads and Cheltenham will call at Patchway instead of Bristol Parkway.

Replacement bus services will link Bristol Parkway, Patchway, Yate and Filton Abbey Wood.

The three-week closure follows similar upgrade work last year, which included building a fourth platform at Bristol Parkway, extending the existing three platforms, and upgrading the track layout in the Parkway area to improve reliability and increase capacity. These upgrades will enable passengers to experience the benefits of Great Western Railway’s new fleet of electric trains, including more frequent services and reduced journey times.

More: Information for rail passengers and local residents »

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