Key Bristol road closure looks set to continue until the end of the month

Residents and drivers in north Bristol are bracing themselves for more roadworks on a key junction, with closures set to continue until the end of May.

The closure of the A4018 main road at the junction of Henbury Road and Falcondale Road in Westbury-on-Trym has been causing widespread traffic congestion in the surrounding area since the first series of road closures began back in March.

Signs at the junction indicated that the road closures would continue until May 10 - at the end of this week. But notifications on the council’s ‘One Network’ website indicate the closures will continue, at least until May 29.

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The closure of the main road junction has been put in place for work to be done to improve the junction, resurface the road, create wider footpaths and replace an ageing traffic light system. The roadworks, and the lengthy loops of diversions for motorists trying to get past the key junction, have caused daily traffic congestions from Henbury to Henleaze, Coombe Dingle to Southmead and in Westbury-on-Trym itself, as motorists try to get around the closure.

Bristol Live has asked Bristol City Council about the progress of the roadworks, and a response is awaited, but the council’s input into the One Network website, which notifies motorists of all roadworks going on in Bristol, indicates it won’t all be finished this week.

The initial road closure notice had the junction being closed off to traffic from March 18 to May 10, and the council has this work logged as ‘in progress’. But the council has a second traffic order which started on April 3, and runs to May 29 - which indicates that the both Falcondale Road and Henbury Road will be completely closed all the time for that period too - which will extend the road closure at the junction for another 19 days.

Local residents say the roadworks can’t end soon enough. In a comment on Nextdoor, Sabrina Dixon said: “I can’t believe having that little stretch of road shut has caused so much traffic chaos. I think it probably adds 20 minutes to a journey.”