M4 section closed for the whole weekend with ‘substantial disruption’ expected

People heading to the Bristol airport from Wales have been warned that one of the M4's busiest stretches is scheduled to be closed throughout the weekend. National Highways has said that it expects the closures to cause "significant disruption" as a bridge is going to be demolished. The highway company has said that it will be closing the M4[1] in both directions between junction 18 (for Bath) and and junction 19 (for M32).

It warned as the closure is on the the "the south west's busiest sections of motorway", substantial disruptions are expected for passengers. The route is also frequently used by passengers for commuting to the Bristol Airport from Wales. A National Highways statement said: "We'll close the M4 in both directions between junctions 18 (for Bath) and 19 (for the M32).

The closure will start at 7pm Friday, March 21 and we'll lift it by 6am Monday, March 24. The demolition will be noisy, but we'll try to minimise disturbance where possible." The highways authority has also requested people to allow extra time for their journeys, adding: "This is one of the south west's busiest sections of motorway.

We expect the closure will cause substantial disruption. If possible, please avoid driving on the M4 round Bristol during the closure. If you have to travel, allow plenty of extra time for your journey using signed diversion routes." Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here[2]

Other sections are also scheduled for closure, as National Highways added: "There will be an exclusion zone around the bridge for safety. Please don't try to access our work site. Also bear in mind that there will be very few places where you can safely watch the demolition.

"To prepare for demolition, we'll close the A432 Badminton Road bridge to pedestrians and cyclists from Friday, March 7. There will be no route across the M4 at this location for cyclists and pedestrians. The alternative route is by Down Road, Bury Hill and Church Lane.

"Due to the exclusion zone, we'll close the Cuckoo Lane junction on the A432 Badminton Road to all traffic over the weekend. This closure will start ahead of the demolition on Thursday, March 20. We'll reopen the junction on Monday, March 24."

The highways authority has added that the disruption can continue further into the week, saying: "During this closure you can access Cuckoo Lane by Down Road and Bury Hill. If we can't complete our work between March 21 and 24, we may need further closures. After demolition, we start work building the new bridge.

We will need to close the M4 again later in the year as part of our work."

References

1. ^ the M4 (www.walesonline.co.uk)
2. ^ signing up to our daily newsletter (www.walesonline.co.uk)