Prince Street bridge is finally set to reopen in the next few weeks, following a prolonged closure for repairs.

Motorists, as well as pedestrians and cyclists, will once again be able to use the historic 138-year-old structure over the Floating Harbour by late April or early May.

This news will come as a blow to campaigners who have called on Bristol City Council (BCC) to ban traffic from the bridge, a move they say will ease pollution and improve safety.

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But transport bosses say they are confident that they have struck the right balance for all road users, taking into account city centre networks, safety and congestion issues.

Only traffic travelling southbound out of the city will initially be permitted to cross the bridge that will remain closed to northbound vehicles until at least summer 2018.

Work on a cycle improvement scheme, connecting Cumberland Road to Baldwin Street and Broad Quay, will also begin this week.

This was the first major refurbishment of Prince Street Bridge since it was constructed back in 1879 and, despite major delays that affected nearby businesses, the council said the works were “absolutely essential” due to the overall poor condition of the structure.

Peter Mann, BCC’s service director for transport, said: “The reconstruction works have been complex due to the age and Grade II listed status of the bridge and operational, mechanical and electrical upgrades.

“It has taken time to complete and we are grateful for the public’s patience during the project as we needed to safeguard the bridge’s future use for everyone.

“The bridge is an important piece of our transport infrastructure so we have carefully worked through a range of options on how different road users might use it in future.”

The southbound-only traffic route is likely to be in place until at least summer 2018 while a major redesign of Temple Gate takes place. The use of the bridge will be reviewed again at this time.

Proposed new traffic flow for Bristol city centre:

Read more: Plea to keep Prince Street bridge traffic-free