Local questions and answers

In this section we have answered some of the key issues, questions, and concerns that have been raised by residents through consultation on the Winterstoke Road replacement bridge scheme.

Winterstoke Road Bridge was originally built during the Second World War. It was only ever supposed to be temporary a bridge and it has now reached the end of its lifespan. This is partly why the bridge has a weight limit. 

A replacement bridge will be built to last for 120 years and improved foundations will allow us to remove the weight limit, providing better and safer access. 

If it we do not replace Winterstoke Road bridge it would have to close to all traffic within the next five to ten years. The traffic impacts that you’ll see during the closure would be a permanent feature on the highways if the bridge is not replaced now. 

Winterstoke Road Bridge was built during the Second World War to provide access to the RAF’s aeroplane factories. Because of this, the Ministry of Defence own the bridge and are paying for its replacement. 

We have contributed a further £450,000 to the project. We will use this to deliver improvements to walking, cycling and horse riding. We aim to help local communities make journeys more sustainably as we all do our bit to work towards net zero.  

Our contribution comes from capital funds that cannot be used on day to day revenue spending. You can read more about the difference between capital and revenue budgets on our dedicated webpage.

To improve pedestrian and cycle access, we will build:

• a 2m wide pedestrian path on the western side of the bridge and;
• a 3m wide shared cycle and pedestrian path on the eastern side of the bridge. 

The shared path will link up with the shared cycle and pedestrian paths leading onto the bridge. This will remove the current bottleneck and connect pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders with local active travel routes.

Construction of the new bridge is complicated due to a number of factors.

This includes:

• challenging ground conditions that require extra foundations and;
• diversion of a number of utilities to nearby homes and businesses, for example gas, water and BT services.

Construction also has to take place alongside an active train line. It is important that we work safely and cause minimal disruption to journeys. We are working with Network Rail to ensure this happens. 

Network Rail dictate when and how contractors can carry out activities near a rail line. For this project there are some activities which require us to have the railway closed. This will be over Saturday nights and longer periods of time. The dates of these are controlled by Network Rail. 

Many of the elements of the new bridge and highway are being built off site to reduce the time required on site. However there is a lengthy period of groundworks required to provide suitable foundations for the new bridge. The bridge will be sat on 24 piles that are 35m in depth and 1.2m in diameter. These groundworks are a process than will take four months to complete.

Winterstoke Road Bridge provides an important route for people in the local area. It provides access to local homes, schools and places of work. Due to works, we are not able to maintain access for vehicles. We will maintain pedestrian access to the bridge throughout the period of construction.

It is not possible to build a temporary bridge that is open to vehicles as it would require:

• temporary road diversions
• more construction space
• stronger foundations to support cars, vans and other heavier vehicles. 

The shorter and more manageable journeys are made using the temporary footbridge, the fewer vehicles there are on the road network. This is important in reducing pressure along the diversion routes. 

Though it won’t always be possible to make a journey on foot or by bike, every journey taken in this way is helpful for others who might otherwise be stuck in traffic. 

Works to prepare the area for construction are already underway and the bridge will close to traffic on Monday 24 November. 

The old Winterstoke Road Bridge will then be demolished over Christmas. This will allow us to start works to the new bridge. Construction of the new bridge will begin mid 2026 and we expect it to open to traffic in summer 2027.

Construction of the new bridge supports will begin mid 2026, at the same time the new bridge is built offsite. The new bridge structure will be lifted into position in early Autumn 2026. 

A period of time will then follow to:

• reconstruct the road on either side of the bridge
• install new drainage, utilities, road restraint systems and;
• complete surfacing works.

The replacement Winterstoke Road Bridge will be around 60m long. That’s the same as six double decker buses parked bumper to bumper. 

Due to the bridge’s length, we will build it in sections rather than all at once. We will build the foundations before this can happen. This involves piling works deep in the ground.

To complete the build, a crane will work to assemble sections of the bridge together, It will then lift them into place when the railway is closed overnight. 

The normal working hours on the construction site are through the day. They will be:

• 8AM to 6PM - Mondays to Fridays
• 8AM to 1PM - Saturdays

However, there will be instances where we may need to work outside of these times. This may include works at night. This is because Network Rail will not allow certain construction activities when the rail line is in use.

The construction site will be surrounded by solid 8ft wooden boarding.

This will keep the site safe and secure and provide some protection against noise, light and other onsite activity.

We will also reduce impacts of noise by:

• using modern plant equipment
• using noise barriers
• switching off plant, machinery, and vehicles when they are not in use.

We will also be making sure that site activities take place during the day and not at night (as far as possible).

Ongoing monitoring of noise, dust and vibration systems have been installed around the extent of the works.

Once construction is complete the site compound will be dismantled and the area put back to its original condition. 

We will need to redirect traffic during the demolition of the old bridge and the building of the new one. You can find the planned diversion routes on our dedicated traffic management webpage.

The traffic diversions were designed based on the findings of traffic counts and expert views on how traffic flows around the area. Once construction begins, we will conduct additional traffic surveys to review the impacts of the road closure.

Traffic will be busier during the construction period so be sure to plan your journeys. We are working closely with teams across the council who are delivering other infrastructure projects that may also have impacts on local traffic. 

This includes:

• BSIP schemes
• A38 MRN
• Banwell bypass.

This is to ensure we deliver works in a coordinated way. The goal is to reduce traffic impacts of the local road network as far as possible.

Yes, there will be a safe crossing during the construction works. The zebra crossing will remain in place to the north of the bridge. Our contractor will also put a safe crossing point to the south. This will support access to the temporary pedestrian bridge during the construction period.

We do not expect the bridge closure to increase the number of vehicles speeding within Haywood Village. We will work with the police to monitor the situation.

The diversion route for the closure of Winterstoke Road Bridge is The Runway and the A370. It does not include Devonshire Road, Drove Road or Hutton. The diversion route has been designed to minimise traffic impacts on the overall highway network. It is important that people use the diversion route as  alternatives could become congested. 

We will be monitoring traffic impacts during the closure of the bridge. We can tweak our traffic management plans if there are aspects that are not working effectively.

 Unfortunately, unexpected issues such as emergency works by utility companies or road traffic collisions can add pressure to the highway network. We appreciate that this can mean there is disruption but these circumstances are beyond our control. 

You can contact the North Somerset project team via email. Someone will get back to you within ten working days.