10 February 2026
City Centre
Bristol’s programme has £179 million overall, meaning we needed to take another look at our plans to improve public transport and pedestrian and cycling routes. Among the projects under review were the City Centre, A4 Portway and Bus Route 2.
Committee members approved plans to reduce the overall budget for the Broadmead project by £8.4 million as estimates for materials and diverting underground services have reduced. Elements of the scheme related to planning applications in the area will also be postponed to line up more with these developments. This includes removing the central section of Union Street and plans for High Street and Wine Street from our current plans.
They also agreed proposals to increase the budget for the A4 Portway project by £1.35 million to deliver higher quality drainage improvements and kerb realignment. Tenders for the main construction phase, which is expected to start in the spring, were also higher than expected.
Committee members rejected plans to use JAQU funding and Clean Air Zone income to fund the central section of the Bus Route 2 project, which goes from Queens Road to College Green, and includes Park Street and the Triangle. We’ll be carrying out a review to understand the implications this decision will have on the overall programme.