Exciting news for those driving heavy goods vehicles! 🚛 The M48 Severn Bridge, a crucial route between Wales and England, might soon be accessible to HGVs again. Since May, the bridge has been off-limits to vehicles over 7.5 tonnes due to unsafe cables, leading to a detour through the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge. But there’s a potential game-changer on the horizon—a new signalling system could bring HGVs back by next year, managing the flow to prevent overloading.
Monmouthshire County Council and Gwent politicians have been pushing for a solution, with National Highways working on both immediate and long-term strategies. The proposed system plans to regulate the number of HGVs on the bridge at one time, ensuring they’re not bunched up.
They’re exploring options at junctions one and two of the M48—one idea is to reroute westbound HGVs and control re-entry with signals. Another involves a special HGV lane. At junction two, signals may manage HGV movements across the roundabout or control access from the eastbound on-slip. Most of the time, these controls would operate to allow free flow, only restricting access during major incidents.
Armand Watts, a local councillor, voiced that while this is progress, long-term commitments are still needed – especially for businesses dependent on this route. National Highways is now in discussions with local authorities and businesses to iron out details, aiming for implementation by October 2026.
The bridge remains open to emergency vehicles, buses, coaches, gritters, and recovery vehicles, and if the Prince of Wales Bridge closes unexpectedly, HGVs will need to follow the M5 and M50 diversion routes.
Fingers crossed this heralds smoother journeys and less detouring for our HGV friends! 🚚🌉 Keep an eye out for updates as plans progress.