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All these things will benefit our area, creating a better place to live and work, both now and for the future.
We have worked hard to secure funding from the Government to deliver these projects. We appreciate they may cause some disruption while they are completed but the lasting legacy will benefit our communities.
This month we look at improvements being made to the Tropicana, bus services and to Winterstoke Road Bridge.
Winterstoke Road Bridge, Weston will close to vehicles on Monday 24 November.
This is so that we can finish the last remaining utilities diversions and get ready for the bridge’s demolition in late December.
When the bridge has been demolished, works to build a new replacement bridge will start. The replacement bridge is due to open in Summer 2027 and is being built to last for the next 120 years.
Diverting traffic during the closure
On Monday 24 November, temporary traffic lights will be removed from Winterstoke Road Bridge. As the bridge will be closed to traffic, a diversion route for vehicles will be in place instead.
The diversion will be well signposted and will direct travel along The Runway, A371, Flowerdown Bridge and A370.
You can find more details on our website.
Though the diversion is expected to improve the flow of traffic compared with the current temporary lights, the Airport and Runway roundabouts are expected to be busy. You may need to plan journeys carefully, particularly at peak travel times.
We will also be completing regular traffic surveys during works to replace Winterstoke Road Bridge. This will help us review possible impacts on the roads and their solutions.
Maintaining pedestrian access
Walkers, cyclists and other pedestrians will still be able to use the existing Winterstoke Road Bridge until it closes permanently in December.
After the bridge has closed, step-free access will be maintained on Winterstoke Road by the temporary footbridge which is in place over the rail lines.
The footbridge will be open throughout construction of the new bridge and will give people greater choice as to how they get around the area.
When journeys are made on foot or by bike, fewer cars are on the road, which means less traffic for those who do need to use their car to get around.
When it opens, the replacement Winterstoke Road Bridge will have a pedestrian path along one side and a shared use walking and cycling path on the other, so that local people can continue to choose how they get around.
Find out more
You can read more about why we need to replace Winterstoke Road Bridge, how long it will take and benefits of the scheme on our website.
Works on the B3440 in Weston started on Monday 6 October
The scheme, focusing on the Bristol Road junction in Worle, aims to make the junction work more efficiently and effectively for all traffic, while creating the modern infrastructure needed to enhance current and future bus services.
Traffic diversions
- A 24-hour lane closure on Bristol Road, from the exit of the A370 to Shepherds Way
- 24-hour narrow lanes and off-peak temporary traffic signals on Bristol Road, from Shepherds Way to the entry to the A370. This phase of the work will start in early November and take around one month.
- Full overnight closures of Bristol Road, from Shepherds Way to and from the A370. This phase of the works will start in early December and take approximately two weeks.
The next stages of this scheme will see two connected roundabouts added between Bristol Road junction and Queensway, to improve traffic flow.
Works on the A38 Lime Kiln roundabout start on Monday 17 November.
The A38 Lime Kiln roundabout is a major junction on the outskirts of Bristol. The Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) scheme will deliver a package of future-proofing infrastructure changes to help secure bus service reliability and frequency as well as improvements for general traffic capacity for all road users.
The Lime Kiln scheme will include:
- bus lanes on the A38 approaches to the roundabout to allow buses to bypass queuing traffic
- new bus priority traffic lights at the ends of the new bus lanes to give buses priority when joining the roundabout
- installing a toucan crossing for pedestrians and cyclists on the Colliters Way arm and the A38 Bristol Airport arm of the roundabout.
Traffic diversions
During these works, there will be lane closures in place on each arm of the junction for the majority of the scheme and night time works taking place in early May. The works will not stop access through the junction.
All of these projects aim to future proof our roads and create better infrastructure for our bus network in North Somerset, as part of the wider Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).
You can discover more about the BSIP programme, schemes, timings and other projects on our website.
Work starts at the Tropicana
Work started at the end of October on the Tropicana in Weston-super-Mare as part of our renovation plans.
Our vision for the seafront site is to provide purpose-built indoor and outdoor entertainment spaces, increase capacity and elevate the Tropicana’s status as a nationally significant multi-use entertainment venue.
We’ve appointed Morgan Sindall Construction. This contract instructs them to strip out and demolish the existing 1980s internal event space building in an initial phase of work.
While the contractor has started preparation work, demolition is due to begin later this month.
Following demolition, the following work is planned:
- repairing the main 1930s promenade building
- replacing the existing 1980s internal event space building with a brand-new structure to host indoor events for around 1,000 people
- increasing the total venue capacity to be more commercially viable
- installing sustainable and renewable energy sources, including heat pumps and solar panels, to improve energy efficiency and help tackle the climate emergency.
Construction work is due to complete by the end of 2026. The appointed venue operator would complete their fit out and reopen the Tropicana shortly afterwards.
People can find out more about the plans, including detailed drawings, on our website.
The planning application reference is 24/P/2691/R3. The application was approved in May 2025.
The Tropicana is one of several high-profile sites across Weston’s town centre and seafront set to be improved as part of a programme of work made possible thanks to our successful bid for £20m investment from the UK government.
Other sites include Birnbeck Pier, Grove Park, Marine Lake and High Street shops.
The restoration of the Tropicana has been made possible thanks to an allocation of £11.94m from the overall £20m awarded to the council through the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) former Levelling Up Fund.
An additional £2.7m from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will enable further improvements. Arts Council England delivers this fund on behalf of the DCMS.
This funding is provided specifically for this project and can’t be used by the council for any other purpose such as adult social care, children’s services or highway maintenance.
Find out more
You can discover more about this project on our website.