A4018 Passage Road: 24-hour bus lanes to be introduced along busy stretch - work to take 18 months

Major roadworks on a main road in northwest Bristol are set to finally begin in January after the project was paused during the pandemic. The roadworks on the A4018, a key route from Cribbs Causeway and the M5 into the centre, are due to take 18 months.

The scheme was initially revealed in 2019 and caused controversy as local residents feared the changes would make it much harder to drive to their homes, while local Labour MP Darren Jones said transport chiefs had “lost the plot”. It led to part of the proposal in Wesbury Village being dropped.

Now, Bristol City Council will press ahead with the changes after the cabinet refreshed permission for the scheme on Tuesday, October 4. Costs for the roadworks have shot up by more than £1 million since the funding was first approved, due to historically high inflation.

Councillor Don Alexander, cabinet member for transport, said: “The project is about improvements on the northern end of the A4018 Passage Road in Henbury, with bus lanes, a segregated cycle lane, and new pedestrian crossings.

“The scope and objectives of the scheme have not changed since the June 2019 decision, but things have been delayed by Covid. Because of inflation there is an estimated increase of £1.25 million from the original cost.”

The changes will take place on Passage Road between Crow Lane and Charlton Road. They include a new 30mph speed limit, a new signal-controlled pedestrian crossing north of Dragonswell Road, a two-way segregated cycle route, and 24-hour bus lanes.

Previous proposed changes also included replacing the Crow Lane roundabout with a traffic light junction, banning certain turnings off the road, and restrictions in Westbury Village. These proposals were dropped in summer 2019 after proving very unpopular.