Cattle Market Road has re-opened to traffic one-way eastbound just in time for Christmas, following the completion of improvement works to create a new wide segregated pedestrian and cycle route.
The new route, in the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone, will improve cycle and pedestrian access to Temple Meads East, connecting the city centre to the arena site and the former sorting office, which was recently announced as the home for a new University of Bristol campus. New lighting has also been installed under the railway bridge to improve the environment for pedestrians and cyclists.
The road will re-open for traffic eastbound only, which will ease congestion at the junction with Bath Road. This is ahead of additional work planned in the New Year to simplify the traffic junction at Temple Gate, improve pedestrian and cycle routes in the area and improve the resilience of the road network.
Cllr Mark Bradshaw, Cabinet Member for Transport, said:
“This work is a first step towards improving the streets and spaces around Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone to meet the needs of the growing number of people who will live and work here and visit the area. It will also play an important role in opening up the area to the East of Temple Meads so that it can become a vibrant part of the city with a new arena and the new University of Bristol campus at its heart.
This new cycle and pedestrian route is part of a wider plan to invest in infrastructure to encourage sustainable travel within and to the Enterprise Zone. It connects with other parts of the cycle network and will improve the experience of the many cyclists and pedestrians who use this route every day.”
The scheme is funded through the Revolving Infrastructure Fund (RIF) administered by the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership. The work on Cattle Market Road follows extensive work carried out by the Homes and Communities Agency to build Brock’s Bridge to connect Cattle Market Road with the arena site.
