There will be substantial closures on main routes between Cardiff and Bristol over the next week to allow for major roadworks.
Both the M4, M48 and M49 will see closures on three nights this weeks due to the second phase of a roadworks scheme. This could tack on an extra 100-mile diversion for drivers of larger vehicles.
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Which roads are affected?
The following roads are affected by the closures:
- The M4 eastbound between junction 23A for Magor and junction 22 for Pilning
- The M49 on the Bristol side of the new Severn Bridge
The M48 will also be closed eastbound from the point where it splits from the M4 at Magor, all the way to junction two at Chepstow
When are they closed?
Both roads will be closed completely between 8pm and 6am every night on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week from May 30 to the morning of June 2. According to Highways Wale, the M48 closure is to prevent access to the roadworks area on the M4.
Drivers heading from south Wales to Bristol on the M4 will be diverted off the motorway and be directed along the A48 to Chepstow instead and back onto the M48 to go over the old Severn Bridge there.
But drivers of any vehicle over 15ft high - so lorries, trucks, and double-decker buses - will be taken on a much longer diversion, up the M50 to Gloucestershire and back down the M5. That diversion makes the distance from Newport to the Almondsbury Interchange - normally around 17 miles, into a 100-mile trip reported Bristol Live
The diversion will also affect the M49 from the Prince of Wales Bridge to Avonmouth, with no traffic coming over the bridge, and all drivers heading down the M5 towards Avonmouth instead.
Highways Wales said they are carrying out "essential works to carriageway patch repairs at various locations’". It is the second phase of work - the westbound side was completed with three overnight closures last week.
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