It has finally been confirmed that Hambrook Junction will be fully reopened, following its release from ministerial restrictions introduced to tackle air pollution.
In 2019, a national assessment identified unsafe levels of nitrogen dioxide on the A4174 Ring Road at Hambrook, requiring urgent action. Restrictions were introduced, including removing the westbound right turn onto the B4058 and limiting traffic leaving Frenchay to a left turn only. To lift these measures, the council needed to demonstrate two consecutive years of legal air quality compliance.
That milestone has now been achieved. The council has received formal confirmation that the Ministerial Direction has been lifted paving the way for the junction to fully reopen. Crucially, it is not expected that lifting the restrictions will lead to a return to illegal pollution levels.
For years, these restrictions have been a major concern for residents and commuters. Labour councillors have worked relentlessly alongside Claire Hazelgrove MP to push for a solution that protects both public health and local connectivity.
It is anticipated that the junction will have opened on Monday 27 April (as this issue of Bradley Stoke Voice went to print).
Councillor Sean Rhodes, South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Local Place, said: “We are really pleased to be in a position where we can reopen the routes through Hambrook Junction that were closed in 2019. By closing those routes, the flow-rate of traffic through the junction was increased, and the air quality improved. In order to be released from this governmental directive we needed to be within legal air quality limits for two consecutive years, and we have now achieved that target.
“We also have to be confident that any return to previous routes through the junction, will not result in a return to unacceptable air quality. But because air quality at the junction has improved markedly in the past couple of years (and it seems likely that this is due to improvements in engine efficiency, and the increase in hybrid and electric vehicles), we can be confident that this will not happen.
“As a result, we are now arranging to remove the barriers on the junction, and to reprogramme the signals, so we can return the junction to the previous layout. Once we make those changes, it will take a couple of weeks for the signal system to fully adapt to the change in vehicle routing, in order to be most efficient in managing traffic in the area.
“We understand that residents and motorists have been keen to see the junction return to the previous layout, but we have had to prioritise public health in managing the air quality to ensure that everybody can travel safely through this area, whichever mode of transport they choose to take. We have always followed the evidence and the data, to do otherwise would have been irresponsible.”
Claire Hazelgrove, MP for the Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency, said: “I’m so pleased that – after seven long years – Hambrook Junction will finally be open again in the next few weeks.
“I know that locally we want healthy air and straightforward journeys, and I’m glad we’ve had official confirmation that the air around the junction has met legally safe levels for a mandatory second consecutive year, allowing these restrictions to be lifted.
“It has been a challenging time for local residents, particularly those who live close to the junction and others who used it every day, and I know this will be welcome news – and perhaps hard to believe until you see it after so long.”