THE Concorde Way cycling and walking route is facing further disruption while work continues on the new Ashley Down railway station.
Permission for the temporary closure has been extended to the end of September, although the city council says it is unlikely to need all that time for the work.
An extra section of Concorde Way, from Station Road to Muller Road, which has remained open so far, will need to be closed to complete the station entrance works with a diversion via Ralph Road put in place.
Councillor Don Alexander, cabinet member for transport, said: “I know lots of people from Ashley Down and Lockleaze will be looking forward to using their brand new station later this year, massively improving connectivity. I recently visited the station to see how works are progressing and it’s great to see it taking shape.
“It’s disappointing that the Concorde Way closure will need to be extended and I’d like to thank residents for their continued patience. This work will be well worth it, when, later this year, we have another new railway station that serves communities in Bristol.”
The Ashley Down station project partnership includes the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority working with the council, Network Rail and Great Western Railway.
The station is part of the MetroWest programme which aims to unlock opportunities for both business and pleasure for residents between Ashley Down and Temple Meads, Filton and Henbury.
When complete, Ashley Down station will initially be served by hourly trains operating between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood from Monday to Saturday and a more limited service on Sundays. The service will be extended once the planned stations at North Filton and Henbury have opened.
The work involves connecting Station Road up to the entrance to the new station, making sure it offers Equality Act compliant access. It includes:
• an accessible route to the station entrance and a resting bench
• two disabled parking bays and a loading bay
• improvement to the levels of Concorde Way
• new steps from Station Road to the subway
• new measures to reduce potential issues between cyclists and pedestrians in a narrow space, including painting ‘SLOW’ markings and improving visibility along Concorde Way near the subway
• a crossing point to the station entrance
• landscaping works, including flowering hedges, meadow grassland, spring flowering bulbs, planting tree and shrubs, and installing bird and bat boxes
• lighting leading up to the station entrance