One of the key routes into Bristol city centre will be closed ‘for the foreseeable future’ following a major collapse of the riverbank.
Cumberland Road has been closed this morning (January 24) and will remain so for what could be a very long time, following the landslip into the river overnight.
The Chocolate Path and harbour railway were already closed because of an underground landslip which council chiefs had allocated millions of pounds to repair.
But now the entire embankment has collapsed into the New Cut River Avon, and this has meant the closure of the road above too.
We are bringing you updates on the traffic in the immediate area and around Bristol today here.
UPDATE: Bristol City Council have indicated .
There are no reports of injuries or damage to property, and council chiefs said the area would be inspected to see if the road is safe to be driven on.
The road closure that use the road. The metrobus m2 from Long Ashton park and ride and the A1 airport bus - both of which use the new metrobus-only route across Ashton - have been diverted completely onto regular roads.
Five stops on the Ashton metrobus section and on Cumberland Road have closed, and the buses are using the A370 and Coronation Road to get into the city centre.
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “Engineers are on site inspecting the damage and the road will remain closed for the foreseeable future while we inspect the stability of the network.”
The council closed the Chocolate Path and railway following subsidence back in December 2017, and the council first allocated £5 million to a project to restore it in January 2018.
But no actual physical work has taken place in the past two-and-a-bit years since then, and in September 2019, the council to £9 million.
Cabinet member for transport, Kye Dudd, said “We know the path is unsafe and as a safety precaution have kept it closed for some time.
“We have been working hard to plan repair works and tenders for the work have just closed.
“Over £9m has been allocated to repairs and maintenance of the Cumberland Road wall and Chocolate Path by Cabinet,” he added.
The river itself was created 200 years ago when the New Cut was dug to divert the river and create the floating harbour just to the north.
The Chocolate Path and railway line was installed along the northern bank along Cumberland Road in 1909.
The area that has collapsed is at the western end of that section around the Vauxhall Bridge area.
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