A NEW free shuttle bus is being laid on to try to ease traffic chaos and delays from the long-term closure of a bridge over the M4 near Bristol.

The half-hourly weekday service starts from 7am on Thursday, September 14, to take passengers from Yate park & ride via Coalpit Heath to the A432 Badminton Road over the motorway, which was shut in July after cracking was found on the underside.

Beleaguered commuters and parents with children on the school run have faced jams and long diversions on the main route between the city and Yate.

There is no imminent end in sight as the results of urgent inspections by National Highways are not expected to be known until December following months of analysis in the lab.

In the meantime, the government agency is paying for the new bus service and South Gloucestershire Council has appointed operator Transpora to run it, initially until the end of the year.

It will stop on request at all bus stops on the route, ending at the bridge closure where residents can take the five-minute walk over the bridge to join the m3 and m3x services, as well as the Y1/Y2.

South Gloucestershire Council leader Lib Dem Cllr Claire Young said: “We understand the closure of the A432 Badminton Road bridge has caused significant disruption and have been working closely with National Highways to minimise the impact of their work on our residents.

“Some elderly and vulnerable residents have been telling us they have been left isolated as their normal bus services have been cut off by the closure.

“We raised this with National Highways and are pleased they have agreed to fund a shuttle bus to link up with regular bus services.

“We also hope this will help more people use public transport rather than battling with the extra congestion the bridge closure is causing on our local roads.”

Cllr Young and council co-leader Labour Cllr Ian Boulton recently visited the bridge and were shown the damage first-hand by National Highways engineers, with a video uploaded onto the local authority’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj6GIX2Qajg

The agency said: “Options development work will take place in  parallel with analysis where possible, and we anticipate a decision on next steps in December.

“The council will be included in discussions and kept fully informed as matters progress.

“During this time, we will fund a shuttle bus to mitigate some of the disruption to public transport on the A432.

“We understand people’s frustration at the disruption in the locality and we appreciate your patience as we work towards a solution.”

The council maintains the local road network but National Highways is responsible for the bridge over the motorway.

More information on the bus service and the timetable are here: http://www.transporabus.co.uk/YCLShuttle?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Orlo