The scheme includes 24-hour bus lanes, speed reductions and junction improvements
Bristol’s main road could be the “most expensive bus route in the world”, according to a local councillor. More than £23m has been committed to upgrade the A4 Portway, with construction work already underway.
The scheme includes 24-hour bus lanes, reduced speed limits, improved junctions, road resurfacing and added lanes for pedestrians and cyclists.
A report presented to the audit committee of Bristol City Council revealed that the project ranked ninth in the authority of the 10 largest expenditure plans.
Cllr Jonathan Hucker (Conservative, Stockwood) told the meeting: “The Portway is worth a lot of money. When it opened 100 years ago in 1926, the Portway was the most expensive road in the world.
“It cost £800,000 to build – £42m in today’s money. So I’ll be interested to see how it compares to the current Portway project.
A4 Portway in Avon Gorge(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service / Bristol City Council)
“While it is the most expensive road in the world, I suspect there will be the most expensive bus line in the world when the project is completed,” he said at the meeting on Tuesday, September 29.
Councilors sitting on the transport and connectivity committee approved a £1.35m budget increase – raising the total from £21.7m to £23.1m – back in February, citing rising costs.
Funding for the project comes from central government and is channeled through the West of England Combined Authority (Weca).
Bristol Conservatives have previously condemned the plans as a “horrific waste of public money” and said they would make it harder for vehicles to navigate the city.
Labor supported the road change when it controlled the council, and it has since been adopted by the Green-led administration.
The Portway runs from the M5 at Avonmouth, through the Avon Gorge, to Hotwells Road.