MOTORISTS and bus passengers have been told to expect six years of roadworks on the way in and out of Bristol as repairs are carried out to a flyover carrying the M32.
National Highways, which is responsible for the concrete Eastville viaduct, has pledged to keep two lanes open in both directions throughout the work, and says Muller Road and Stapleton Road, which cross underneath the motorway, will also stay open.
The work, which could cost up to £450 million, could be done quicker were the flyover to shut – but that would leave the busiest route into Bristol, which carries 85,000 vehicles a day, closed for three years.
The project will involve renewing the drainage, creating new noise barriers and replacing 130 bearings on top of the concrete columns or piers, extensive repairs to the concrete both on the top and bottom of the bridge deck, replacing parapets, lighting, the central reservation and gantries.
The 1km flyover, which takes the motorway past Ikea and the Eastville Tesco store, will also be resurfaced and re-waterproofed, and possibly have its edge beams replaced.
After funding for the project was confirmed in March, design work is under way and due to finish next year, with a contractor to be appointed in 2028. Work will get under way in 2029 and is expected to take up to six years, which means finishing in 2035.
Project manager Will Miller said National Highways is committed “100%” to keeping the M32 open in both directions, as there is nowhere else that could cope with the amount of traffic that uses the motorway.
He said: “It’s essential to keep Bristol city centre open for business.”
The refurbishment should give the bridge another 40 to 50 years of use.