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The long-awaited South Bristol Link Road has been overwhelmingly approved by Bristol City in a move that is likely to be welcomed by most businesses in the city.
The combined three-mile road and rapid transit MetroBus route will link the A370 in Long Ashton
with the Cater Road roundabout in Hartcliffe, including new cycle and pedestrian paths.
The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Business West, which runs Bristol Chamber of Commerce, say the route is vital to encourage investment in long-neglected parts of South Bristol, reduce congestion in the area and would help to create up to 2,500 jobs.
And Bristol Airport CEO Robert Sinclair said: “The road will transform the experience for passengers going to and from the airport, befitting an international city with an international airport.”
Councillors in North Somerset approved the plans for the section of the SBL that will be in their area earlier this month.
Bristol councillors voted eight to two in favour of the plans, which had been recommended for approval by council officers.
Cllr Mark Wright said the road, first mooted 70 years ago, was designed to solve an “identifiable problem”.
But Pip Sheard, a long-standing campaigner against the SBL plan from Bristol Friends of the Earth, trashed the proposal and challenged claims about the number of jobs that would be created.
“It is a pointless waste of good public funds for transport schemes which would be better spent on rail, trams or new bus services which is what the Bristol public really want,” she said.
Funding for the SBL was announced by the Chancellor George Osborne in his 2011 Budget. It will be funded with £28m from the Department of Transport, with £17m from Bristol City Council and a third party. Construction is due to start in May 2014 and finish in May 2016.
Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson is not a fan of the scheme but had been resigned to it going through, particularly after North Somerset Council's decision.
