Vauxhall Bridge to be closed for three years as 'extensive damage' found during repairs in Bristol

The bridge will take a year longer to repair than previously estimated. Credit: Bristol City Council

Repairs to a bridge in Bristol will take three years as extensive damage has been found during repairs.

Vauxhall Bridge closed last October and work was predicted to take two years, but Bristol City Council has now announced the repairs will likely last for three years.

Inspectors will soon check two roundabouts which also run over the New Cut, as these bridges will need repairs as well.

The Bath Bridges roundabout and the Bedminster Bridges roundabout are two critical ways for drivers to cross from South Bristol into the rest of the city.

Vauxhall Bridge connects Bedminster with Cumberland Road and Spike Island. Two other footbridges are also being repaired, the Banana Bridge and Sparke Evans Park Bridge.

Green Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of the transport policy committee, said: “This news will come as a blow to all the residents and businesses in the area and everyone who uses Vauxhall Bridge.

Some of the structure has become corroded and it is thought was damaged after bombing during the Second World War. Credit: Bristol City Council

"It wasn’t until the decking and paint had been removed that we could fully see the level of damage and corrosion. It is really extensive and we are doing our utmost to save the bridge and restore it as quickly as we can.

“People may suggest removing the bridge and building a new one. However, to do so would be to destroy a Grade II listed structure that has historic value, and it would not speed up the project.

"It would add more years and cost more money as we would need to start from scratch to design and approve it via planning, raise millions of pounds to fund it and plan its build.

“Having considered it in the round, we feel that the best option is to continue with these works, albeit to a longer timescale than we foresaw or would have liked.”

The repairs are part of a £16m project to renovate some of Bristol's bridges. Credit: Bristol City Council

The repairs form part of a five-year programme to repair six bridges over the New Cut. The council began the programme in 2022 and estimates the works will cost £16 million.

The Gaol Ferry Bridge, near Wapping Wharf, has already been repaired and reopened.

The works involve removing the decking from the bridges, and blasting off the paint with grit so that engineers can check the level of damage and corrosion.

On Vauxhall Bridge, which is 124 years old, investigations revealed that metalwork has severely corroded, and there is structural damage thought to be caused by bomb damage from the Second World War.

The structure of the Sparke Evans Park Bridge is also in a worse state than expected, meaning that repairs could take longer than two years. The condition of the Banana Bridge matches what was expected, and should take 18 months to repair.

Cllr Plowden added: “The New Cut bridges programme is well underway but it can at times seem like the work is not progressing as fast as it could.

"All 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.”

Credit: Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporter