New station at Ashley Down, Bristol

[whole diary]

[Bmblbzzz]

Works compound at Ashley Down station site, Station Lane

I'm loving the alternative take on hard hat and hi-vis. 

[Red Squirrel]

Good to their word, contractors have mobilised on site at Ashley Down today.

Had a nice chat with another forum member who was also there to check how they were doing. We cleared off fairly quickly though as there were a lot of busy-looking people in hi-viz about and we didn't want to get in the way.

Here's the site compound this morning, with a lot of coming and going down quite a narrow access lane:

[johnneyw]

Yes, good to bump into you and have a quick chin-wag RS.
Here's one I took between various trucks and vans arriving and reversing out.

[Red Squirrel]

With thanks to FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site)'s Carol Durrant, here are a few pics showing further progress at Ashley Down:

Boiling Wells Lane, showing newly-surfaced section of the diverted cycle route through the farmyard:


Improvements to cycle diversion between Boiling Wells and Muller Road:


Station site from Station Road. Local youths appear to be amusing themselves with recently-cut brash...

[Red Squirrel]

Bristol 24/7 has picked up on the diversion of Concorde Way:

IMPORTANT WALKING AND CYCLING ROUTE TO BE CLOSED FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR

By MARTIN BOOTH, Friday Mar 3, 2023

Concorde Way between Ashley Down and St Werburgh’s is set to close for at least a year, leaving walkers and cyclists having to take a long and potentially dangerous diversion.

Part of the popular route is expected to close from Sunday [5 Mar 2023 - Ed], with a diversion via Boiling Wells Lane and Muller Road.

The closure of the path is to enable the building of the new Ashley Down railway station, part of a project which will reopen the Henbury Line between Bristol Temple Meads and Henbury to passenger traffic.

The new Ashley Down station entrance will be located on Concorde Way where the path meets Station Road.

This imminent closure of part of the Concorde Way comes at the same time as the closure of another traffic-free stretch of the route in Lockleaze between Constable Road and Bonnington Walk is set to continue for a further eight months until the end of August 2023.

Bristol Cycling Campaign say that it is “disappointing” that Legal & General Modular Homes have exceeded their own estimated duration of “a maximum period of six months” or managed to “do our best to open earlier” as they originally stated.

The pressure group are also disappointed that the diversion between Ashley Down and St Werburgh’s is a narrow road to Watercress Farm and then “a muddy, sloping footpath” that joins Muller Road close to Fairfield School.

The cycling campaign says that the proposals for Muller Road are “very unsatisfactory for all path users and (are) not considered to be a comparable route for cyclists with the need to dismount & walk or ride in the heavy traffic”.

...continues

[TonyK]

Can't please everybody, I suppose. Still, no pain and all that.

[johnneyw]

A few photos of the work now commenced at the Ashley Down Station site.  The underpass and access to Concord Way has now been fenced off although already a gap has been forced through.  At the time I was there, cyclists were using this way through, as did a family sat at a nearby bench.  More pics to follow.

[johnneyw]

A few more Ashley Down Station site pictures.  The site compound looks just about complete for now.  Some of those white water fillable fencing bases seem to have already been deployed trackside just south of the site (also pictured).  There's also been a fair amount of vegetation clearance as shown in one of the photos.

[johnneyw]

The local Beeb reports that Mayor Marv is willing to have another look at the Concord Way detour around the station building site after people's complaints about it.  It doesn't really say anything more than that but if you want to have a look at the article, it's on the link below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-65039482.amp

[johnneyw]

I had a quick nose around the station construction site today and took some pictures.... sorry about the quality.... must try harder next time.  There was quite a bit of heavy equipment moving across the wider site this afternoon.  This might herald some serious earth shifting action soon so I'll pootle on by there again in a few days.

[froome]

Many thanks for all the updates about this site, which I know well.

For many years i had allotments on the Ashley Hill site and used to cycle up the path that later became Concorde Way and lock my bike to the railings at the entrance off the path (and once had it stolen from there  ). Very occasionally I could be seen taking my wheelbarrow down the path and through the tunnel into Boiling Wells Lane to visit the dubious pig farm there to collect manure.

It is not surprising that Concorde Way has become a popular route for both pedestrians and cyclists, given the gradients of alternatives and that they all involve use of very busy roads. I can't envisage what alternative can be found without allowing some use of the path, but when I'm next in the area I will go and have a look around myself.

[Red Squirrel]

I’ve seen a suggestion that an alternative route via Stoney Lane, the open space known as ‘The Loop’ and Dirac Road could work for some. Stoney Lane is steep and narrow, not rideable, but may be better than the Muller Road option.

[johnneyw]

Had a brief detour while passing nearby to look at the work going on today.  The big toys were in action but it was far too wet to hang around for long to see exactly what they were being deployed for.  Managed this quick snap between drenchings though.

[johnneyw]

No, it's not "The Mole" from Thunderbirds lending a hand but one of the parked up pieces of equipment on the western side of the future station.

[Red Squirrel]

Presumably that's going to auger some holes for the rebar assemblies on the right of your picture to drop into. As I understand it that's how the piling will be done - none of yer whacking columns into the ground with a big hammer!