Bill rises £6m for junction revamp

TAXPAYERS will end up paying an extra £6 million for the delayed roadworks that have sparked more than two years of traffic chaos near Bristol Temple Meads station.

The roadworks, which have been delayed by nine months, will ultimately cost 50 per cent more than anticipated – £17.1 million compared to the original budget of £11 million.

Bristol City Council this week confirmed, however, that the Temple Circus roadworks were now on schedule to meet a revised completion date this autumn.

The project suffered a major setback last year when it was revealed that the works, which will ultimately remove the former Temple Circus gyratory roundabout, would be delayed by nine months.

A spokesperson for the council said: “The works at Temple Gate remain on schedule to complete in autumn 2019 and we would like to thank the public for their patience as we deliver the final stages.

“As we come to the end of the project, elements will complete at different times, with a number of changes coming to the area over the next few months.

“Last week saw the first of the new pedestrian crossings open on Temple Gate, so people walking and cycling can cross between Clarence Road and Cattle Market Road.”

The delay was caused by three factors – the discovery of a Victorian cellar underneath the old roundabout, uncharted utility pipes being found and difficulties installing new heat network pipes.

Originally the project was expected to cost £11 million to deliver, but the council has said that since the original grant offer in 2015 the scheme has expanded to include work at the southern part of the Bath Bridge roundabout.

The authority said the cost of utilities works to ‘free-up’ the land for development also added to the scope of the Temple Circus project, which led to the budget increase.

A sign warning near Temple Meads of disruption… before the project deadline was put back