Portway, Bristol
The Portway is a major road in the
The road was constructed following
The Portway remains an important route to and from Bristol, and is now used as part of the
Route
The road is about 5 miles (8 km) long. Commonly it's thought to start in Hotwells, however, it starts at the junction of Bridge Valley Road and Hotwell Road below the
For much of its length the Portway is close to the
Construction
The Portway was planned by the
The largest cutting on the construction was at Horseshoe Bend. It was 2,400 feet (730 m) long and cut 90 feet (27 m) into the rock at its deepest point. Upstream from this, a viaduct was needed to span the River Trym and the remains of a Roman harbour. It was composed of six 42-foot, 6-inch (12.95 m) arches, with abutments embedded in the rock 14 feet (4.3 m) below. It was supported by three piers at 17 feet (5.2 m), 21 feet (6.4 m) and 40 feet (12 m) below road level. Construction of the viaduct was delayed owing to the tidal flow of the River Avon and the irregularity of the rock. A skew girder bridge was constructed to cross the Severn Beach Railway near Sea Mills station, with foundations up to 55 feet (17 m) below the surface. Around 3,000 feet (910 m) of retaining wall was required at the Bristol end, where the road was sandwiched between the River Avon and the side of the gorge.[5][6] In September 1924, approximately 200 yards (180 m) of newly constructed concrete embankment slid into the river following ground subsidence, posing a hazard to navigation and adding 12 months to the duration of the work, though there were no injuries.[7]
The Portway was opened by the
Electric lighting was provided to illuminate the new road, but for one year after the opening the lights were kept switched off following objections from river pilots who argued that they would make it hard to distinguish the navigation lights of shipping and the signal lights on the shore. Eventually the electric lights were turned on at a reduced brilliance.[8]
The Portway was numbered A36 when first opened. It was renumbered as a western extension of the A4 by the
Maintenance
Traffic levels increased substantially on the Portway when the M5 motorway was extended past Cribbs Causeway to meet it in 1971, as it provided a convenient way of avoiding the congested road network around north-west Bristol. Although this was only intended to be a stopgap measure until the Avonmouth Bridge was completed, construction of the bridge was repeatedly delayed. Transport Minister Keith Speed proposed a temporary solution of signing all Midlands – South West traffic via the Portway, followed by either the A369 from Bristol to Portishead northbound, or local roads southbound. The scheme required minor upgrading to junctions along the Portway. The Avonmouth Bridge opened in May 1974, making the scheme redundant.[10]
Rockfalls from the limestone cliffs of the Avon Gorge have caused a hazard to motorists on occasion and every year the road is closed to allow for inspection of the cliffs for potentially dangerous cracks and loose rocks, and to allow remedial works.[11] In 1980, a glass fibre reinforced concrete canopy was constructed over the Portway close to where it passes below the Clifton Suspension Bridge, in order to protect traffic from such rock falls.[12][13]
In 2001, a 27-inch (690 mm) water main burst near the junction with Bridge Valley Road, causing a major collapse and putting the road out of action for several months. One passer-by was swept into the river but was rescued uninjured.[14]
Other facilities
The
The Portway is regularly closed to through traffic in order to cater for other events besides routine maintenance. The annual
Incidents
In 2014, an anonymous group constructed an 8-foot-high (2.4 m) parody of the Hollywood Sign on the Avon Gorge next to the Portway, reading "Bristoland".[24] The sign had a positive reception with commuters driving along the Portway. A few months later, the sign was briefly changed to "It's bland" without explanation, following which it was quickly removed.[25]
See also
- Portway Bristol F.C., a football team based at Shirehampton, near the road
- Oasis Academy Brightstowe, formerly Portway Community School located in Shirehampton
- Hotwells railway station, demolished during construction of the Portway
References
Citations
- ^ a b "Portway to 697 Portway". Google Maps. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "Bristol Park&Ride" (PDF). FirstBristol. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "Bristol Network" (PDF). First Group. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ a b c Brodie 1942, p. 67.
- ^ a b c "New Bristol Road". The Times. Times Digital Archive. 3 July 1926. p. 11. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ a b Brodie 1942, p. 68.
- ^ "Serious Subsidence Near Bristol: Concrete Embankment In River Bed". The Times. Times Newspapers. 29 September 1924. p. 9.
- ^ A Correspondent (4 March 1929). "Shrouded Lights: Keeping The Portway Dim". The Times. Times Newspapers.
- ^ "CLASSIFICATION: Re-numbering of classified routes". The National Archives. 1933–1942.
- ^ "Avonmouth Bridge (J18 to J19)". The Motorway Archive. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "Downs Committee 6 July 2015" (PDF). Bristol City Council. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- S2CID 130882084. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- ^ "Maintenance Portway,_Bristol". Brennecke. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ "Portway damage could take "up to a month" to repair". BBC Bristol. BBC. 5 July 2001. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "Park and Ride Bus Service – A4 Portway (Service 902)". Bristol City Council. Archived from the original on 28 October 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
- ^ "Railway station could be built at Portway park and ride". Evening Post. Bristol News and Media Ltd. 13 January 2009. Archived from the original on 9 January 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "Portway Park and Ride train station opens in Bristol". BBC News. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Great Bristol Half Mararathon". Bristol Great Run (official website). Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "Thousands of riders take part in annual Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride". Bristol Post. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "What is Peaceful Portway?". Peaceful Portway. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "Portway closure plans for Sundays". BBC News Bristol. BBC. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
- ^ "Bristol Portway to be closed to traffic on Sundays". Bristol Post. 26 April 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "7 of the best Big Green Week events coming up in June". Bristol Post. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "Bristol version of 'Hollywood' sign appears on outskirts of city". BBC News. 24 January 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "Bristoland sign disappears from Avon Gorge". Bristol Post. 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
Sources
- Brodie, Robert (1942). The Reminiscences of a Civil Engineering Contractor. John Wright & Sons Ltd. ISBN 978-1-483-19510-0.