Manvers Street is closed to traffic until 20 November 2026, A36 wall repairs run to November, and the Cleveland Bridge 18-tonne limit stays. What still moves.

Driving in Bath runs on a short list of pinch points: the A36 threading past the city, Cleveland Bridge, the London Road, and a city centre that is deliberately hard to drive through. This page covers what is actually closed in August 2026, the schemes that will still be running into the autumn, and the evergreen answers, the Clean Air Zone, park and ride and parking, that decide how you should come into the city at all. For live works street by street, the council points drivers to its one.network map.

Closed now: Manvers Street, until 20 November

The biggest disruption in the city is right outside the station. Manvers Street is closed to all motor vehicles, 24 hours a day, between the Dorchester Street and Henry Street junctions while the council rebuilds the road from the foundations up; the concrete slabs beneath it, laid over wartime-era vaults and cellars, have worn out. Work started on 26 May 2026 and is programmed to take around six months, with the council working to an expected finish of 20 November 2026, in time for the Christmas Market (B&NES Council).

While it lasts: pedestrians get through, cyclists are asked to dismount, every bus stop on Manvers Street is closed with routes diverted, and the Manvers Street car park stays open, reached via Pierrepont Street. If you are catching a train from Bath Spa, allow a few extra minutes and approach from Dorchester Street.

The A36: wall repairs and the Cleveland Bridge limit

National Highways is repairing the limestone retaining walls on the A36 between Dundas and Bathampton through most of 2026. The scheme runs to November 2026, with sections of the northbound lane closed under temporary traffic lights around the clock; each closure is kept under 200 metres, but queues build at peak times (National Highways).

At the other end of the same trunk road, Cleveland Bridge still carries its temporary 18-tonne weight limit, in place since the £3.5 million repairs of 2022. The council extended the restriction again on 30 October 2025 for up to a further twelve months, so it runs to around November 2026 (Bath Newseum). The limit is enforced by ANPR camera, with fines of up to £1,000; around 16,000 vehicles a day still cross (Bath Echo).

The city centre is designed to keep you out

Two standing restrictions catch visiting drivers more than any roadworks. Milsom Street is closed to general traffic between 10am and 6pm, a restriction the council has made permanent after the 2021 trial (B&NES Council), and under the city-centre security scheme the core streets around the Abbey are closed to vehicles between 10am and 6pm, with exceptions for Blue Badge holders and taxis carrying them (B&NES Council).

The Clean Air Zone: cars are not charged

Bath’s Clean Air Zone covers the city centre and operates 24 hours a day, every day. The key fact most visitors have wrong: private cars and motorbikes are never charged, whatever their age. The daily charges, from the council’s own table, apply only to older, non-compliant vehicles in these categories:

  • £9 a day: taxis and private hire vehicles, minibuses, vans and pick-ups under 3.5 tonnes.
  • £100 a day: buses, coaches and HGVs; private horse transporters and motorhomes over 3.5 tonnes pay £100 unless registered with the council for the £9 rate.

Compliant vehicles (broadly, Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol and newer) pay nothing. Check any vehicle on the GOV.UK checker before a trip.

Park and ride: usually the right answer

Bath has three park and ride sites, all run by First Bus, with buses up to every 15 minutes taking about 10 minutes into the centre, seven days a week. Parking is free if you travel on the bus the same day; the council is proposing to raise the charge for people who park without riding from £3 to £4 for 24 hours (2026-27 parking consultation).

Bath's three park & ride corridors Bath city centre Lansdown P&R (north) Service 31 · Lansdown Road, BA1 9BJ Newbridge P&R (west) Service 21 · Newbridge Rd, BA1 3NB Odd Down P&R (south) Service 41 · Roman Road, BA2 8PA Buses up to every 15 min, about 10 min to the centre, 7 days a week. Parking free when you ride the bus.
Bath's park and ride network. Site and service details from First Bus, August 2026.

On First Bus’s published fares, an adult return is £3.70, a Group Return for two adults travelling together after 9:30am on weekdays is £5.50, and under-16s ride free with a fare-paying adult (First Bus Lansdown page).

Parking if you must drive in

  • Bath Spa station car park has just 78 spaces (GWR), so do not build a journey around finding one.
  • Charlotte Street is the main long-stay council car park, open 24 hours with no maximum stay, a short walk west of Queen Square; pay by MiPermit, or cash and card at some machines (B&NES Council).
  • Council car parks charge by emissions band: the older and more polluting the vehicle, the more each hour costs, and diesels pay a surcharge (B&NES Council).

For residents, the direction of travel is clear from the 2026-27 parking proposals: on-street permits rose 20% in 2025-26 (the first rise in over a decade), visitor permits are set to step up from £1 to £2.50 a day by 2028, and the council is consulting on pricing permits by vehicle size as well as emissions, alongside new resident parking zones consulted for Lambridge, Locksbrook and Audley Grove.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Manvers Street in Bath closed?

The road is being rebuilt from its foundations: the concrete slabs under the surface, laid over old vaults and cellars, have deteriorated. It is closed to motor vehicles between the Dorchester Street and Henry Street junctions until around 20 November 2026. Pedestrians can still get through and the Manvers Street car park stays open via Pierrepont Street.

Do I have to pay Bath’s Clean Air Zone charge in my car?

No. Private cars and motorbikes are not charged in Bath’s zone, regardless of age; it is a Class C zone. Non-compliant taxis, vans and minibuses pay £9 a day, and non-compliant buses, coaches and HGVs pay £100.

Is there still a weight limit on Cleveland Bridge?

Yes. The temporary 18-tonne limit has been extended again, running to around November 2026, enforced by ANPR camera with fines of up to £1,000.

How much is Bath park and ride?

Parking is free when you travel on the bus. On First Bus’s published fares an adult return is £3.70, a weekday Group Return for two adults after 9:30am is £5.50, and under-16s travel free with a paying adult. Buses run up to every 15 minutes, seven days a week.

Where should I park for Bath Spa station?

The station car park has only 78 spaces. For a day trip, Odd Down park and ride serves the south side, or use Charlotte Street and walk; Manvers Street car park remains open during the roadworks, via Pierrepont Street.

Where can I check current roadworks in Bath?

The council publishes live works on its one.network map, and National Highways lists A36 scheme updates on its South West maintenance page.

Sources

Roadworks change week to week; treat the dated closures above as correct at publication and check the live map before you travel. Last updated August 2026.