This year sees the centenary of two famous roads – Route 66 in America and the Portway in Bristol. While numerous celebrations are planned stateside, however, nothing much seems to be happening closer to home.
This is hardly surprising: Route 66 is 2448 miles long; the Portway clocks in at just over five. And, while so many great singers have paid tribute to Route 66, not even Adge Cutler got round to writing a song about the Portway.
But, while the Portway’s fame – such as it is – is strictly local, it seems a pity to let its centenary pass unmarked. When it was officially opened on 2 July 1926, it was not just the city’s first major road project; it was the most ambitious and most costly road yet built in Britain, and an engineering wonder.
But this was no vanity project. The city had no choice but to build it. When Avonmouth docks opened in 1877, the provision of rail links was imperative to their success. Little thought was given, however, to building new road links. The narrow, switchback route over the Downs was considered adequate for the limited number of horse-drawn carts and wagons travelling to and from Avonmouth.
From horse to engine power
As the 20th century dawned, however, the more far-sighted began to realise that new-fangled motor vehicles would eventually challenge the monopoly of the railways. The first calls for what was described as a ‘low level road’ to Avonmouth came as early as 1900, and by 1904 the council had started surveying possible routes.
By 1910, the project was starting to take shape, but, while all agreed that a low level road was needed, the problem was that there was only one viable route – along the Avon Gorge. This not only posed major engineering challenges; it would be hideously expensive. Initial estimates for the cost of building it ranged from £60,000 to £200,000 – figures that many baulked at.
There was little sense of urgency at this stage, however, as lorries – most of them either chain driven or steam powered – were still pretty rudimentary. And, even though facilities were being built so that Avonmouth could compete with Southampton and Liverpool for ocean liner traffic, the expectation was that intending passengers would travel by rail rather than road. So, when war broke out in 1914, firm plans had still to be made, and the project was put on hold.
The First World War saw the army pour huge resources into lorry development and production. When the war ended, the bulk of the army’s massive fleet of lorries were sold to ex-servicemen, many of whom set up road haulage businesses, competing with the railways for business. That low level road, debated for so long, was now essential if the docks at Avonmouth were to continue to prosper.
The go-ahead for its construction was given in July 1919. It was to be built on a grand scale – 20m wide, extending to 30m in places – with sweeping curves and gentle gradients. There was much discussion as to what it should be called. Among the more grandiose suggestions were the Western Gateway, Atlantic Highway and Great Portway Road. In the end, it was called simply the Portway, an inspired choice which has stood the test of time.
The southern section of the Portway was built along the trackbed of the Bristol Port Railway, which ran from a junction with the Clifton Down line at Sneyd Park to a terminus under the suspension bridge. This line was still operational, but closed in 1922 when work began to convert it to a road. This was a delicate operation, as in places the single-track line ran either through tunnels or on a narrow ledge between the river and the sheer cliffs of the gorge. Widening it to accommodate the road involved blasting 25,000 tons of rock, slewing Bridge Valley Road 10m inland and building 1100m of retaining wall, a large chunk of which collapsed into the river as work was nearing completion.
A deep cutting, 730m long, was also needed further north at Horseshoe Bend, along with a six-arch viaduct over the River Trym and a steel girder bridge over the railway near Sea Mills. Because access was difficult, many of the materials to build the road were brought by rail to the goods yard at Shirehampton, from where a contractor’s siding and narrow-gauge tramways carried them to where they were needed.
The Portway took five years to build, and, according to the Western Daily Press, ‘provided employment for a daily average of 800 men who would otherwise have been drawing the dole’.
Initial estimates as to its cost proved ludicrously over-optimistic. The final bill came to £800,000 – equivalent to £43.5m today – with the government contributing £200,000.
Lights, action
The official opening, on 2 July 1926, was accompanied with civic ceremony and cheering crowds. In the weeks that followed, Bristolians swarmed to marvel at this portent of things to come.
At night, it was illuminated by street lights (pictured below), which so distracted the captains of ships navigating the river that they called for them to be turned off. Drivers were also asked to turn off their headlights and rely on sidelights. Photographs from this time show the Portway as a wide uncluttered road with only the occasional bus or car driving along it. It was a popular place for walking and cycling. Benches lined the river bank and eight tennis courts were built in an old quarry alongside the road. At the northern end, houses were built alongside the road.
It slowly grew busier, but traffic levels soared in 1971 when the M5 was extended south to Avonmouth, with traffic from the Midlands to the South West diverted onto the Portway. The opening of the Avonmouth Bridge in 1974 solved that problem, but the Portway continued to grow ever busier.
It also proved ever more expensive to maintain. Falling rocks were an abiding problem, and in 1980 it was decided to install a reinforced canopy over the road near the suspension bridge to protect vehicles from them.
As well as routine maintenance issues, there were occasional crises. In 2001, a burst water main near Bridge Valley Road caused a section of the Portway to collapse, and the road was closed for several months.
For some years, it has been closed so that half marathons, bike rides and similar events can be held. Recent closures on summer Sundays, most notably in 2015, have allowed Bristolians to stroll along and enjoy this superbly scenic road unhindered by traffic.
Currently, work is being carried out to encourage more walkers and cyclists to use the Portway. Pavements are being widened, trees planted, green spaces established and speed limits lowered. New bus lanes are also being created and junctions redesigned to improve accessibility. Needless to say, the work has proved controversial, but time will tell what impact the changes will have.
A century on – because it has become such a busy road – we have perhaps come to take the Portway for granted. But it is not just a vital piece of the city’s transport infrastructure; it is an astonishing feat of engineering and one of the most visually dramatic roads in Britain.
Sadly, for the moment at least, there can be no return to those halcyon days when walkers and cyclists had it more or less to themselves, but this perhaps is missing the point.
The Portway was built to serve the docks at Avonmouth and it has served them supremely well. What is astonishing, though, is that a road built through such inhospitable terrain to meet the needs of the 1920s should cope so well with the demands of the 2020s. And that surely is worth celebrating.
Discover more of Andrew Swift’s books and writings online from akemanpress.com | All photos provided courtesy of Andrew Swift
