Bristol road repairs could cost 拢2m

Image caption, The road links Bristol Zoo with the Portway

Repairs to a busy commuter route in Bristol could cost up to 拢2m, according to a council report.

Bridge Valley Road, which links the zoo to the Portway, was shut for repairs to a retaining wall in March.

But the road remains closed while the council decides how the damage to the road should be repaired.

A cabinet meeting at the end of September will look at the options, with the installation of "stitching bars" the preferred repair method.

A council report says the bars would tie the retaining wall to the rock face and stabilise a fault line beneath the surface.

Visual impact

"The stability of the slope is influenced by the formation of the rock along the old fault line along the old fault line that runs through this section of the gorge," the report said.

Wire mesh would be installed over the bars to reduce the visual impact to the surrounding Avon Gorge.

The work is likely to take about four months to complete if this option is approved.

The report also considered other options which included the permanent closure of Bridge Valley Road to traffic.