Council apology as unexpected discovery halts work on £5.4m route

Work on a section of the £5.4 million Scholars Way active travel route, which has seen Bathwick Hill closed for the last month, has been halted after the unexpected discovery of underground utility services.

The road has been closed for a number of weeks

Bath & North East Somerset Council has issued an apology, saying it is committed to finding a solution for the Oakley and Copseland section of the route at the top of North Road and Bathwick Hill.

In the meantime, the old layout is being reinstated. Bus services were resuming through the area from Sunday, 30th August, with the support of marshals, and the road will reopen to all vehicles from Wednesday, 3rd September.

The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority has invested nearly £3 million into the Scholars’ Way scheme across the south of Bath, on top of almost £2.4 million from the council.

It is connecting local schools, residential areas and the University of Bath, making it easier to walk, wheel or cycle between them.

After finishing the west section of the route, from Combe Road to St Martin’s Garden Primary School via Mulberry Park, construction began on the Oakley and Copseland section of Scholars’ Way East on 23rd July, which includes a new toucan crossing over Oakley, and enhanced footpaths and dropped kerbs to improve active travel.

The road will now be reinstated while further investigations take place

But in an update on its Scholars Way web page, the council says: “We are very sorry to confirm that work on the Oakley/Copseland improvement scheme has now been paused.

“During construction, previously unidentified underground utility services were discovered in critical locations within the scheme.

“Despite extensive investigations carried out during the design and planning stages, these services could not be fully identified until excavation works commenced. Their location presents significant challenges to delivering the proposed improvements as planned.

“We understand this news will be disappointing, particularly given the long-standing support for these improvements and the disruption caused by the recent road closure.

“We sincerely apologise to residents, businesses, road users and the wider community for the frustration this will cause.

“To minimise further disruption, we will reinstate the existing road layout and remove traffic management arrangements while we undertake further investigations.

“We are working closely with utility providers and technical specialists to determine whether a viable solution can be found and how the scheme may proceed in the future.”

The council says it will provide regular updates as more information becomes available, and thanks everyone for their patience and understanding.

The east section of Scholars’ Way also includes walking improvements at the Widcombe Hill/Claverton Down Road end of Copseland, including a continuous footway and dropped kerbs with tactiles. Timing of this section is yet to be confirmed.

The scheme also includes the upgrade of the shared path between Quarry Farm and Claverton Down Road to a three-metre-wide hard surface to improve conditions for walkers, wheelers and cyclists.