A MAJOR motorway that carries upwards of 130,000 cars a day is set to close within weeks to allow a 64-year-old bridge to be demolished.
A section of the busy route will be shut down for an entire weekend so the work can be carried out safely after a spate of overnight closures.
National Highways have announced the closure of an M4 junction across an entire weekend[/caption]
National Highways have confirmed that part of the M4 will be closed in both directions for several days at the beginning of next month.
Opened in its present form in 1996 by extending the Chiswick Flyover, the M4 links West London with South Wales, running 189 miles through the West Country.
According to the agency, the road is “one of the busiest in the South West” providing access to London, Bristol, Cardiff and Newport among others.
However, one of its junctions is now set to fall silent to make way for workers to dig a utility trench for a diversion route.
This is being done in advance of the demolition of the Badminton Road Bridge on the A432, which runs over the motorway, next year.
The bridge, which was erected 64 years ago, has been closed for over a year after cracks were found on the underside of the structure in July 2023.
Traffic will be barred from the stretch of the M4 between J18 and J19 from 7pm on Friday October 18.
The closure will remain in place through the weekend, with a reopening scheduled for 6am on Monday October 21.
Road bosses have admitted that the closure is “likely to cause substantial disruption” and urged drivers to “plan ahead” to avoid it.
There will be a signed diversion route in place in both directions to allow motorists to skirt around the impacted junction.
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.”
However, disruption is expected to continue well beyond the weekend-long closure as the project progresses into the next stages.
The bridge is set to be demolished in March 2025, which will likely necessitate another closure of the M4 beneath.
A new crossing will then be built in its place, with construction set to last from April 2025 into “early 2026”.
It comes just days after a vital bridge further along the same motorway was suddenly shut down for “emergency repairs”.
