Bristol Street Tunnel to be reopened tomorrow
Shoppers and workers will be able to use the Bristol Street Tunnel from 9am tomorrow morning (9 Nov) following work behind the scenes by Swindon Borough Council and site partners.
Published: Thursday, 8th November 2018
The tunnel, which is a main pedestrian route linking the Town Centre with McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Swindon and some of the town’s major employers, was shut last Friday (2 Nov) by PWC, who were appointed as administrators after Carillion and Churchward PLC went into administration.
But the Council has managed to put arrangements in place to enable the tunnel to be open daily from tomorrow until 5pm each evening. Further arrangements for opening the tunnel during the evening are currently being discussed.
Councillor Dale Heenan, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Town Centre, said: “The sudden closure of the Bristol Street tunnel by PWC caused many complaints from residents and visitors about walking between the town centre, Railway Village and places like the Outlet Centre, STEAM Museum and the National Trust for work, shopping or because they live in the nearby apartments and houses.
“The Council and site partners immediately saw that this needed to be dealt with as a priority. The Council’s Chief Executive and I have been receiving daily updates, and I am pleased with the hard work and diligence of Council officers throughout the week.
“Supported by site partners, documents from over 20 years ago have been found from the days of Railtrack regarding who has responsibility for the tunnel, and with that knowledge we have taken the necessary action to reopen it.”