News / Transport
Sparke Evans Park Bridge finally reopens after repairs
Sparke Evans Park Bridge was gleaming in the sunshine on Friday afternoon; looking as good as it might have done when it first opened in 1933.
The bridge crossing the River Avon between St Philip’s Marsh and the Paintworks had been closed since October 2023 with repairs originally due to take two years.
But refurbishment took longer in no small part thanks to a new accessible ramp now on the Sparke Evans Park side of Sparke Evans Bridge which is a much more gentle incline than before.
The full restoration – part of a major programme of works to repair nine bridges along the River Avon and New Cut – cost around £3m; £1m more than the initial estimate.
Funding came from the Department for Transport’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, secured by WECA, with Bristol City Council contractors also working with WECA to add new lighting and CCTV, and resurfacing the approach from Edward Road on the Paintworks side.
As well as the new ramp, refurbishment work included repairing the bridge’s structure, suspension cables and metalwork; repairing the masonry; and painting the bridge a dazzling shade of yellow.
Speaking to Bristol24/7, Ed Plowden, chair of Bristol City Council’s transport & connectivity committee, called Sparke Evans Park Bridge “a bit of a hidden gem”.
“But we’ve got more development coming around the Paintworks and of course, we’ve got Temple Quarter coming, so actually this is going to end up as a really direct route into the new entrance to Temple Meads next to the new university campus.”
Plowden said that he hopes “this winter” will see the reopening of Vauxhall Bridge which will be 80 per cent new once work is complete.
He thanked people across Bristol “for their patience and understanding” during the refurbishment of the multiple bridges around our city.
Dealing with Bristol’s crumbling waterside infrastructure that has had little to no investment over the last few decades is something Plowden says is a major part of his job.
In fact, he called a future collapse of the walls of the docks, the New Cut and the River Avon and a number of retaining walls across the city the council’s “number one risk”.
The much shorter and steeper ramp on the St Philip’s side of the bridge as it was in September 2025 – photo: Martin Booth
Plowden congratulated the team who refurbished this bridge but he also promised to get tough on council contractors who do not do a good job.
“What’s good is that we’ve looked at it, we’ve decided it’s not good enough and contractors are doing it again at their own cost,” said Plowden, referring to the current resurfacing of sections of College Green and St Augustine’s Parade just a few months after they were resurfaced.
“Because we are not going to accept bad workmanship which doesn’t meet the spec that was in the contact.”
Main photo & video: Martin Booth
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
