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December
20, 2005
First stage of £155,000 Burnham to
Highbridge river path is completed
Cyclists
and walkers in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge can enjoy a new traffic-free
path between the towns after the first stage of building a brand
new path was completed this week.
Running
beside the River Brue between Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge, the
path provides a safe route for local people and visitors and improve
access to an attractive area where people can enjoy the coastal
views and wildlife.
The
path, that runs along the top on an Environment Agency flood embankment,
forms part of Sustrans' National Cycle Network that comprises
10,000 miles of cycle paths across the UK.
The
project was made possible after the Environment Agency decided
to raise the height of the River Brue flood bank to improve the
level of flood protection. The work, costing £155,000, provided
an opportunity to turn an existing public footpath into a purpose-built
cycle trail.
 Work
on the first phase of the scheme started earlier this year after
talks between Sustrans, the Environment Agency, Somerset County
and Sedgemoor District Councils. It included upgrading a 200 metre
length of path running through Apex Park.
Work
on the main phase started in September and has just been completed.
It involved laying a fine stone and gravel surface along more
than a kilometre of embankment to provide a continuous three-metre
wide path suitable for cyclists, pedestrians and wheelchair users.
The
improvements, which have cost around £95,000, were partly
funded by a Department of Transport grant. Somerset County Council
contributed £20,000 from its Safe Route to Schools Fund.
The new trail was earmarked as a priority under the Burnham-On-Sea
and Highbridge Community Strategy and Market and Coastal Towns
Initiative.
"The
Environment Agency is pleased to have contributed to this important
project by linking a flood bank improvement to this small, but
valuable new link in the National Cycle Network. It clearly demonstrates
what can be achieved through a successful partnership," said
John Viney for the Environment Agency.
"It
has long been an ambition to construct a cycle and pedestrian
path between Burnham and Highbridge and is something that has
always had strong local support, so it's successful completion
is an important milestone and achievement," said Rob Shuttleworth
for Sedgemoor District Council.
"This
new link provides almost two miles of traffic-free route along
the delightful, picturesque Somerset coastline between Burnham
and Highbridge," said Sustrans Technical Director, Simon
Talbot-Ponsonby. "It has been a pleasure working in partnership
with the Agency and the local authorities to produce this new
section of path."
The
path forms part of the Wessex Cycle Route, also known as National
Route 33, linking Weston-super-Mare and Bridgwater on the north
coast with Lyme Regis and Seaton on the south coast.
All
that remains is for signposts and picnic benches to be installed
before the path is officially opened.
RELATED
LINKS:
Work starts on new riverside path
between Burnham and Highbridge
Apex Park
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