Work on the ground kicks off in earnest on Bridgwater’s landmark Celebration Mile next week.

The flagship pedestrian and cycle friendly route will connect the railway station and the Northgate Docks which are also in line for regeneration. Both are funded by the Bridgwater Town Deal.

From 19 August a closure of Eastover is required for the safety of the public and workforce in order to get the first phase of the work done. The Closure is between Broadway and Church Street. Access to Church Street will be maintained using two-way traffic lights via Eastover in an east direction.

It’s expected to be in place until November when construction moves to the next phase.

Celebration Mile is the ‘back-bone’ of Bridgwater’s revitalised town centre, and will celebrate the town’s rich history and culture. The project aims to create a vibrant and welcoming experience for visitors to the town centre that supports active travel, including improved pedestrian and cycling routes through the town.

Funding for Bridgwater Town Deal projects does not affect Somerset Council’s financial emergency. The money can only be spent on these specific projects and cannot be used for services that Somerset Council delivers.

The scheme aims to re-energise the centre of Bridgwater by improving footfall and encouraging visitors to spend more time in the town centre. You can read more about it here. The route will include coordinated high quality public realm materials, street furniture, shared surfaces, paving, lighting, street trees, interpretative material, public art, and improved wayfinding.

Councillor Ros Wyke, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Economic Development, Planning and Assets and Bridgwater Town Deal board member said:

It’s really exciting to move into the main construction phase for Celebration Mile. We appreciate this may be disruptive at peak times for some road users – we would urge people to try and plan ahead and bear in mind this route will be closed. But the net result of this work will be a fantastic landmark walking, cycling and wheeling route from the station to the docks which we believe will have massive benefits for Bridgwater in the long-run, in terms of economic growth and encouraging more visitors to the town.

Toby Lander, Operations Manager for Taylor Woodrow added:

We are pleased to be in partnership with Somerset Council by working on this exciting regeneration project in the heart of Bridgwater. We are looking forward to supporting Somerset Council’s project aims in providing an active travel route throughout the town, whilst making the areas both safe and attractive to its users. As always, we will be working closely with all impacted local businesses and residents and would like to thank our stakeholders in advance, for their patience during these works.

For more information, visit the Bridgwater Town Deal website, inlcuding it’s Celebration Mile page.