NATIONAL Highways has confirmed the date that the M4 will close to demolish the condemned A432 Badminton Road bridge.
The motorway will shut between the Bristol and Bath junctions, at Hambrook and Tormarton, from 7pm on Friday March 21 until 6am on Monday March 24, while the bridge is taken apart and removed.
The closure will happen weeks after the start of work on an ‘active travel’ project to install new foot and cycle paths along the A4174 between Emersons Green and Abbey Wood, which will involve narrowing lanes and closing the 2+ lane on the ring road – part of the official M4 diversion – for almost a year.
The motorway bridge is currently open to pedestrians and cyclists but will be completely shut from March 7, so engineers can remove asbestos pipes from inside.
During the M4 closure, crushing machines will be moved on to the motorway and the edges of the bridge will be removed, before it is allowed to collapse on to a protective mat covering the carriageway. The rubble will be crushed and moved off the motorway before being taken away for recycling as aggregate and steel.
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.
“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.”
The official diversion route will be the same as for last October’s closure, when the motorway was dug up to build a new culvert for utilities from the bridge, using the M32, A4174, A420 and A46.
Back then many drivers tried to use other roads, causing jams on Westerleigh Road and in Pucklechurch and Siston.
There will be further closures later in the year, on dates to be confirmed, for parts of the new bridge to be lifted into place.
It is expected to be ready to use in around a year’s time.
The diversion for cyclists and pedestrians while the bridge is replaced will be via Down Road, Bury Hill and Church Lane.
Mr Walsh told a meeting of the local community engagement forum in February that it would take pedestrians an extra 20 minutes and cyclists an extra five to cross the motorway using the route.
National Highways, which is responsible for the bridge, closed it in July 2023, severing the main road between Bristol and Yate.
Engineers found “accelerated deterioration and cracking” in the steel reinforced concrete, which made it unsafe to carry vehicles.
South Gloucestershire Council began work in mid-February to install new foot and cycle paths, bus stops and a 40mph limit along the westbound Avon Ring Road between the Wick Wick roundabout, next to the M4 bridge, and Coldharbour Lane near the UWE Frenchay campus.
The work started with overnight closures, as narrowed lanes are set up along the entire length of the roadworks.
A council spokesperson said there were no plans to remove or adjust the narrow lanes on the ring road while the M4 is closed, adding: “We advise people to plan their journeys in advance to avoid any potential disruption.”
The spokesperson said the lane restrictions and closures would be kept in place along the entire length of the A4174 being worked on, rather than being implemented in stages.
The work is expected to continue until December or January.
The council said: “These improvements aim to enhance facilities for buses, pedestrians, cyclists, and wheelchair users. By providing more travel options, there will be less traffic on the roads for those people who do need to travel by car.
“These changes are part of a wider regional programme to make walking, public transport and cycling not only viable, but the preferred way of getting around – especially for shorter journeys.
“We understand that these works will cause disruption, and we appreciate your patience as we carry out this important project.
“Our priority is to minimise delays wherever possible, but safety for the public and our workforce must come first.”
Hambrook ban stays: Page 14