Drivers have been warned they will face major disruption following a full closure of the M4. National Highways is warning road users that the stretch of motorway north of Bristol will be closed for a full weekend in March to demolish the A432 Badminton Road Bridge.
The M4 will be closed in both directions between junctions 18 ( Bath ) and 19 (M32) from 7pm Friday, March 21, to 6am Monday, March 24. With 3,000 to 4,000 vehicles using this section of the M4 every hour over peak weekend periods the closure is likely to cause substantial disruption, and drivers are advised, where possible, to avoid the area and plan journeys for alternative times, National Highways has said.
A diversion for westbound traffic will be:
- From M4 junction 18, exit the motorway roundabout to the A46 heading towards Bath
- At the A46/A420 junction just past Pennsylvania take the A420 towards Warmley
- At the A420/A4174 junction in Warmley, take the A4174 towards the M32
- Join the M32 at Junction 1 and head to the M4 Junction 19
- The eastbound diversion will be in reverse
The demolition will be noisy, National Highways has warned. But they said they will phase the works for safety and to reduce overnight noise where possible. For safety there will be an exclusion zone in place around the bridge during the demolition work and National Highways is reminding members of the public not to try to access the work site.
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.”
In preparation for the demolition work, National Highways will need to close the A432 Badminton Road bridge to pedestrians and cyclists from Friday, March 7. This means there will be no route across the M4 at this location for cyclists and pedestrians.
An alternative route will be available and signposted via Down Road, Bury Hill and Church Lane.
As part of the exclusion zone, the Cuckoo Lane junction on the A432 Badminton Road will need to be closed to traffic, pedestrians and cyclists over the weekend. This closure will be installed ahead of the demolition weekend and will start on Thursday 20 March. The junction will reopen on Monday, March 24.
During this closure access to Cuckoo Lane will be via Down Road and Bury Hill. Once demolished, National Highways will begin work on constructing the new bridge. This will require a further closure of the M4 again later in the year to begin lifting the new bridge into place, but all dates will be communicated when confirmed.