The southern end of Station Road in Little Stoke is to be closed to motorised traffic for up to one month to allow remedial work to be carried out on the railway embankment adjacent to the new Gipsy Patch Lane bridge.
The road closure was originally advertised as starting from Monday 14th November but is now expected to begin next Monday (21st November 2022) and last until Wednesday 21st December.
The work, which involves some excavation, involves extending the north-east wing (retaining wall) of the railway bridge in order to strengthen the railway embankment.
The extension of the retaining wall will allow the adjacent embankment to be regraded with a reduced slope, thus ensuring its long-term stability.
Construction of the new railway bridge was undertaken by Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd, but Network Rail has appointed Balfour Beatty Rail to carry out the remedial work. A recent meeting of the Gipsy Patch Lane Stakeholder Liaison Group was told that a different contractor has been chosen for this work “in order to complete the outstanding works by the end of the year, and to not disturb the commencement of the MetroBus service”.
Programme of work
Balfour Beatty began preparing the site for the work, including setting up welfare facilities, on Monday 14th November.
The work, which is expected to last six weeks, will be carried out between 8am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday, and between 8am and 4pm on Saturdays. Some work will need to be carried out on Sundays, but this will only happen on Sunday 27th November and Sunday 11th December, between 9.30am and 4pm.
A spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council, which has overall responsibility for the Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension project, of which the railway bridge replacement forms a key part, said:
“These dates and timeframes may be subject to change, and we will keep you notified of any updates.”
“No construction work will be carried out overnight. However, Network Rail will be carrying out rail line possessions during this time. This work will not include the use of machinery.”
“Any questions or issues you may have about this work can be raised via the Network Rail 24-hour helpline on 03457 11 41 41.”
Traffic management
To enable the work to take place a section of the bus lane along the north side of Gipsy Patch Lane (running west to east) has been closed, but general traffic lanes along Gipsy Patch Lane remain open.
The shared-use path on the north side of Gipsy Patch Lane near to and under the bridge has also been closed, but the path on the south side remains open to pedestrians and cyclists.
The bus lane and shared-use path closures will continue until the work is complete.
From Monday 21st November 2022, the junction for Station Road on Gipsy Patch Lane will be closed to traffic. This junction closure will need to remain in place for the duration of the work.
The closed section of Station Road will extend from the Gipsy Patch Lane junction to a point shortly before the access into the Admiral’s Yard Self Storage facility (see photo above).
A diversion route for vehicles, via Clay Lane and Little Stoke Lane, will be in operation and will be fully signposted throughout the junction closure. Drivers of high vehicles are asked to be aware that access to businesses to the southern end of Station Road is restricted by a footbridge with a height restriction of 4.2 metres.
Pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to access Station Road via Gipsy Patch Lane during the closure.
All businesses on and near Station Road, including Patchway Railway Station and the Sort It recycling centre, will be open as normal.
M4 MetroBus
As previously reported, the West of England Combined Authority has announced that First West of England will operate the new M4 MetroBus service along the CPME route. This service is due to start operating in early 2023. First and the combined authority will announce further details, such as service frequency and a start date, this autumn.
Other work
Still to complete this winter is the installation of iPoints and CCTV at the new MetroBus stops. Some further landscaping will also be carried out over the winter months.
More information and related links:
- Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension (SGC)
- MetroBus Extension Build (The Journal)
- Photo albums (Google Photos):
Possible delay
UPDATE added 12th December 2022.
It is noted that one.network is now showing a revised completion date of 19th January 2023 for this work. However, there has been no official confirmation of any delay from South Gloucestershire Council.
