The last section of Gloucester’s southwest bypass moved a step closer to completion this week with the opening of a newly-diverted section of canal.
This 250m stretch of the Gloucester to Sharpness route is the largest canal construction contract since the 1800s, according to the county council, and an important staging post in the regeneration of the city’s derelict inland port.
It clears the way for blocking off the old canal for the construction of the fifth, Netheridge section of the £43M bypass. Sheet piles will then be put in place to allow dewatering and construction of an embankment for a junction on the new single-carriageway road.
‘This is a very important scheme for the city, and essential for future development,’ said Gloucestershire  project manager, Nigel Edgeworth.
The 1.5km-long single carriageway, which opens up access to landlocked brownfield sites, is being built on an embankment through the flood plain, with a flood-compensation area. Due for completion by April next year, the bypass will relieve congested Bristol Road, which will be become a public transport corridor serving the £200M Gloucester Quays development.
Norwest Holst is also building a swing bridge with a 4.7m clearance, allowing most canal traffic to pass freely. Designed by Halcrow, engineer for the bypass, it is identical to its London Docklands’ Connaught Bridge.
The canal works involved diverting gas and oil pipelines, and piling around a 2.4m sewer which runs under the canal.
Additional wharfage was incorporated in the design to facilitate plans to ship aggregates by barge from Worcestershire instead of road to the Cemex ready-mixed plant. Developers contributed £17M and the regional development agency a further £2M to complete the bypass.
This was merely ‘the first in a series of schemes that will release congestion and allow Gloucester’s regeneration to bloom,’ according to cabinet member, Cllr Stan Waddington.
The 25ha Quays development, which will convert listed warehouses for retail, residential and office use, will help fund the long-awaited completion of an inner-ring road diverting traffic away from the city centre.