The petition of the residents of Bath,
Declares that Cleveland Bridge, a Grade II* listed structure, is unable to withstand vehicles over 18 tonnes as part of its function on the primary road network; further that interventions are now increasingly needed to preserve the structure for future generations, as the law requires; and further that the Government have set out in their road investment strategy that the A350 corridor could be used as the main north-south strategic route from the south coast to the M4.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to bring forward urgent work to adopt the A350 corridor as the main route from the south coast to the M4, and to consider redirecting east-west traffic from the A4 and Bristol, to the A420 north of the city, thereby protecting Cleveland Bridge from heavy freight traffic and enabling a reduced weight limit.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Wera Hobhouse, Official Report, 10 December 2020; Vol. 685, c. 1100.]
[P002637]
Observations from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Vere of Norbiton):
The Government are taking action to invest to improve England’s local highway infrastructure, of which Cleveland Bridge is part. Without this investment in local roads, delays and disruption occur for the travelling public and businesses.
Cleveland Bridge repairs have been funded with £3.56 million from the Department for Transport. Works should begin in May or June of 2021, subject to the backing of Bath and North East Somerset council members, some of who share local concerns about the impact of HGVs on routes through Bath if the 18 tonne weight restriction is removed when the bridge is repaired.
The bridge provides a link between the A46 and A36 roads that approach either side of Bath and forms part of an important through route between the Dorset coast and the M4. Any long-term solution for reducing the impact of traffic at the bridge will need to acknowledge and respond to this sensitive and deeply-valued setting in relation to the natural, built and historic environment.
The unsatisfactory nature of the A36/A46 route passing Bath has long been acknowledged. The present dualled A4/A46 trunk road, the Batheaston bypass, was opened in 1996, but proposals to link the A4 to the A36 at Bathampton were rejected following a public inquiry.
The second road investment strategy committed Highways England to carrying out a strategic study that will review north-south connections between the M4 and the Dorset coast, including a review of the case for adopting the A350 corridor as the main strategic route in place of the A36/A46 via Bath, and will consider the case for trunking or de-trunking of key routes.
Highways England and officials in the Department for Transport will engage with a range of local stakeholders as the study develops. The Government encourage all those involved to continue working closely with the Council to ensure these important works can be undertaken.