The £57 million Cribbs Patchway metrobus extension (CPME) has reached a significant milestone following the completion of improvement work at the San Andreas roundabout next to the Mall at Cribbs Causeway.

The overall CPME scheme will improve the public transport network by providing an alternative, fast and direct bus route between Bristol Parkway Station and The Mall, via the Cribbs Patchway New Neighbourhood on the former airfield site.

The improvements at the San Andreas roundabout include:

• A new road link at the roundabout will, in the future, provide a sustainable transport route into the Cribbs Patchway New Neighbourhood. Metrobuses, other local buses, emergency vehicles, taxis, motorcycles, and cyclists will use the route

• Traffic signals to improve safety, manage predicted growth in traffic, control flows to suit varying demands during the day and allow for future bus priority measures

• New toucan crossings providing safer pedestrian and cyclist routes.

South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Environment and Strategic Infrastructure Councillor Steve Reade said: “The San Andreas roundabout improvements are a crucial part of the metrobus extension scheme. There are immediate benefits in this busy location for people who travel on foot or by bike at Cribbs Causeway. New signals and pedestrian crossings will make access safer and convenient for all road users as we accommodate future growth.

“The Council is constructing new infrastructure to benefit existing local communities and for when people move into new homes. When the new road section opens for sustainable transport, the people living in the New Neighbourhood will enjoy quick access to a reliable public transport system.

“Our ambition is to encourage more active and sustainable travel for local journeys from the moment families move into the New Neighbourhood, such as hopping onto the metrobus to Bristol Parkway Station or the wider bus network, taking a cycle ride to work, or walking to the Mall. Sustainable travel will become part-and-parcel of everyday life for New Neighbourhood residents.”

Simultaneously, South Gloucestershire Council has completed the extension of the shared use path from the San Andreas roundabout along Hayes Way, to further improve pedestrian and cyclist access in the area.

Landscaping work, including tree planting, will take place at San Andreas during the rest of this year.