Portway Park & Ride bus entrance to close for new gates to be installed

The work will run from 19 to 30 January and will see bi-folding gates installed at the Park & Ride site. It will mean the number 9 bus will not be able to access the site and will need to use the temporary stops on the Portway throughout the closure.

While the new bus entrance has been in use since September, installing the gates marks the end of the project to remodel the area.

The project, which started in February 2025, included:

• Widening and reconfiguring the bus junction
• Adding more wayfinding
• Introducing a pedestrian crossing next to the bus entrance junction
• Resurfacing the area

Councillor Ed Plowden, Chair of the Transport and Connectivity Committee, said: “I am pleased these gates are going in and that the Park & Ride bus entrance works will be completed.

“By investing in projects like Portway Park & Ride, we are aiming to create a transport network that reduces congestion, improves air quality and the health outcomes for everyone across Bristol.”

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said: “Getting the basics right by investing in improvements at places like Portway Park & Ride, for people to more easily catch the bus or the train, helps to lay the foundations for a better transport system overall.

“We have already secured £752 million from government for the next stage of transport investment. That means that the West can get out of the slow lane and continue catching up with other city-regions, with better buses, more trains, and mass transit plans.”

For the gates to be installed, the turning area for buses needs to be closed. This will mean that the previously used temporary bus stops just outside of the Park & Ride site on the Portway will be back in use throughout the works.

Number 9 bus passengers will still be able to park at the Park & Ride site in the normal way and then access the temporary bus stop using the temporary signal crossing near the junction with Barrow Hill Road.

When completed, the council will join the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority to open the new bus entrance along with the WEST Travel Hub at the site.

These works are part of a wider A4 Portway project, which aims to make public transport, along with walking, wheeling and cycling the preferred travel options by upgrading the infrastructure to reduce bus journey times and create a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists.

Phase 2, which began in June 2025, is focussed on realigning kerbs, resurfacing pavements, upgrading street lighting and other improvements to support active travel. This phase is nearing the halfway point and is set to continue until the spring.

Phase 3 is programmed to take place between spring 2026 and spring 2027. It will see bus priority measures, junction upgrades, road resurfacing and the remaining kerb works completed, to create a more sustainable and connected Bristol.

The Portway Park & Ride bus entrance project and the wider A4 Portway project are being funded by the UK Government as part of the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, secured by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.