A section of a major motorway outside Bristol will close at night from Monday (October 14) as carriageway repairs are being undertaken. The M4 heading westbound from junction 18 (Bath) and junction 19 (for the M32) will close at night for two weeks.
The night closure will only affect the westbound side of the carriageway at night from Monday, scheduling to end on the morning of Tuesday, October 29. The night closures will be from 9pm to 6am, with the exception of Friday when the night closure will run from 10pm to 6am. The night closures will not be in operation on the weekends.
A diversion will be in place for drivers from junction 18. Drivers will follow the A46, A420, A4174 and the M32 to reach junction 19 of the M4.
This follows an additional night closure which will come into effect tomorrow (October 10) on the M4, where the westbound section between junctions 18 and 19 will close from 8pm to 6am on Friday, October 11. This is due to a bridge inspection undertaken by National Highways, according to One.Network.
At the same time, from Friday, October 18 at 7pm to Monday, October 21 at 6am, the M4 in both directions between junctions 18 and 19 will close due to work involving the A432 Badminton Bridge. A trench will be dug underneath the motorway to allow for utilities to be diverted.
A 50 mile-an-hour speed limit will be in force when approaching the junctions preceding the closure, junction 18 heading westbound and junction 19 heading eastbound, according to One.Network. The A432 Badminton Bridge currently has cracks to the southeast underside and a structural investigation revealed accelerated deterioration, resulting in the closure of the bridge to traffic.
The bridge, which currently goes over the M4, will be demolished and replaced. It is thought that work on the bridge will be completed in spring 2026. A diversion during the motorway closure follows the M32, A4174, 1420 and A46.
National Highways route manager Sean Walsh said, “This is one of the busiest sections of motorway in the South West which is why we are giving drivers as much notice as possible so they’re able to plan their journeys well in advance. We carefully plan our schemes to limit any inconvenience, but sometimes it’s not possible to carry out the work that’s needed without a closure.
“Our message for anyone who plans to travel on the M4 around Bristol is to avoid the area if you can – if that’s not possible, allow yourself plenty of extra time to complete your journey via our signed diversion routes and expect delays.”
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