Bristol bridge work causing Friday traffic chaos
Resurfacing work on the Avonmouth bridge is to blame for gridlock crippling Bristol on Friday afternoons.
Council officials have told their counterparts at the Highways Agency, which is carrying out the work on the M5, that it is having a dramatic effect on city centre traffic.
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A Highways Agency official admitted that jams had been expected when the works were planned – but that research predicting the problems was not passed on to other bodies or the public.
A lane has been removed in each direction on the bridge to accommodate a contraflow system while the northbound carriageway is resurfaced. But it is jams on the southbound carriageway, as traffic heads from the Midlands and London to the South West on Friday afternoons, which have caused most disruption.
As the delays increase, drivers leave the M4 and M5 and filter through the city centre to avoid the bridge.
The work started a month ago today and the past four Fridays have seen long afternoon jams on the southbound M32, Bond Street, Temple Way and many main routes through the city. The works are also causing delays for commuters trying to reach Bristol from North Somerset.
Bristol City Council's transport director David Bishop said: "The impact on Fridays in Bristol is dramatic. We are suffering serious gridlock through the afternoon into the evening."
He urged better communications between the Highways Agency's control centre at Avonmouth with the city council's own centre near St James Barton roundabout, which controls city centre traffic.
Mr Bishop said if they could be given "real time" information about the jams on the motorway, then it would help them ease traffic flows.
He was speaking at a meeting of the West of England Partnership – a body which represents the four councils in the former Avon area.
The meeting, in Weston- super-Mare yesterday, was to discuss a range of transport issues.
Justin Davies, managing director of bus operator First in Bristol, described the past few Friday afternoons as "chaotic".
He blamed the roadworks on the Avonmouth Bridge and said it had meant Bristol buses had lost hundreds of running hours.
Mr Davies said he believed electronic signs on the motorway should warn drivers of delays as far back on the M4 as Hungerford.
He also said it was madness that two lanes of the Avon Ring Road were being closed near Downend today, which would add to the chaos.
Chris Jones, regional planning manager for the Highways Agency in the South West, said the delays had turned out to be what they expected.
The agency had carried out research before the work started to see how bad the jams would be.
Mr Jones said they should have passed on this research.
He said they were doing everything they could to minimise the effect of the resurfacing work and supported the idea of real-time dialogue with other control centres.
He told the meeting the fine weather meant the repair work was currently ahead of schedule.
Contractors have taken off the old surface and replacing it with a longer-lasting asphalt which is expected to last at least 20 years.
If work continues ahead of schedule, it should be finished by Christmas.
21 Comments
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by Road worker, Bristol
Saturday, October 03 2009, 9:33AM
“How exactly am I changing my mind???”
by Chris, Bristle
Friday, October 02 2009, 8:58PM
“You change your mind like a bad driver on the M5.
Quote: 'Everyone wants to have a look at whats going on, slows down and has a gander then speeds up, this causes the ripple effect. South bound people are not looking to see which lane they need and usually stay in the inside lane for Gordano then pull out causing the 1st then 2nd then 3rd then 4th etc etc car to brake to avoid hitting him and on the North the same can ......'”
by Road worker, Bristol
Friday, October 02 2009, 4:06PM
“Not really. As a good driver you should be looking all around you including in front of you for any possible debris in the road. If you don't, you must be the kind of person who stops on a yellow box junction or a "Keep clear" box. You don't need a magnifing glass to see the road ahead.”
by Chris, Bristle
Friday, October 02 2009, 3:14PM
“'What happened was water got under waterproofing and between the layer and the tar. When it froze it lifted creating pot holes which I'm sure you have all noticed the patching all over it. If you haven't, next time you go North, have a look'
Hmmm. Kind of contradicts your 'it's the drivers rubbernecking the work' causing the slow downs.”
by Paul, bristol
Friday, October 02 2009, 1:21PM
“The people in authority seem to more often than not create more problems than they solve. The roadworks aside, there are just too many vehicles for the existing road nertwork to cope. For some reason it takes this country for ever to do things. For example getting the portishead rail line back working. Surely that could be done in a year or two not the stupid length of time that gets quoted.”
by Paul, bristol
Friday, October 02 2009, 1:14PM
“The whole of the Portishead junction and routes in and out of there need to be looked at. But thankfully i don't drive that way often these days but is a right pain for a work colleague who lives in Pill, just the other side of the bridge and at the moment with the roadworks it can take over an hour to do a journey that normally takes less than 10 mins. His only other alternative is down the Portway then back up the A369. He says bring back the ferry!”
by Vic, Bristol
Friday, October 02 2009, 1:08PM
“Everyone is full of advice to others about what should be done. 'They' should do this, 'drivers' should do that, and so on.
However, there are real people quoted in the news story who have some authority (I nearly said ability) to actually do something about it. We all think we're as expert they are, and everyone is effectively pointing the finger at someone or something else.
The simple fact is that it is not simple. There is no panacea, even when the Avonmouth Bridge work is complete. There will always be roadworks, accidents and an overload of traffic somewhere.
So to all the experts passing an opinion, and that includes you and me, why don't we stop pointing at someone else and look at ourselves. If we use the roads, we are as much a part of the problem as a defective piece of tarmac.”
by Road worker, Bristol
Friday, October 02 2009, 1:03PM
“I meant look back not Sick back. OOPS.”
by Roadworker, Bristol
Friday, October 02 2009, 1:02PM
“As you say Paul, people in lane 1 of the South Carriageway indicating at the last minute to come off at Gordano with trucks barreling along at 56 to 60. They obviously missed all the signs coming over the bridge telling them to use the left lane. Again, its all about driver behaviour and until you sick back and look at your driving, you don't realise just how many bad things you do, not you personally you understand Paul.
Chris, I understand your view but in case you hadn't been over the bridge, the company who are doing the tar laying are Swedish. They specialise in tar that can withstand temperatures far colder than we do here and cope with heavy traffic and bridge surfaces.
What happened was water got under waterproofing and between the layer and the tar. When it froze it lifted creating pot holes which I'm sure you have all noticed the patching all over it. If you haven't, next time you go North, have a look.
I think you also have to agree the work needed to be done and as much congestion as it causes, it cant be helped. Ive stood out on that bridge at 3 am filling pot holes when it was below zero with a windchill just to prevent damage to passing cars and thank god, I wont have to do that for a long long time.”
by Chris, Bristle
Friday, October 02 2009, 12:07PM
“'Well done to Not on the M5 anymore. Just think, in 5 to 10 years and itll be hapening all over again. Good observation skills as the report says it will last 20.'
He/she like the rest of us probably don't believe a word of the claimed 20 year life span. I'll give it 5 max.”