Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will have to wait at a set of traffic lights to use the Severn Bridge when it re-opens to vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes next year.  

National Highways has published details on its preferred solution for allowing HGVs to start using the crossing again after they were banned in May. 

Engineers had discovered deterioration to the supporting cables during safety inspections, forcing HGVs to instead use the M4 Prince of Wales bridge to travel between England and Wales.

In September, National Highways said it was considering two options at junctions one and two of the M48 to manage loads that would allow HGVs back across the bridge without overloading its cables.

From next autumn, it has decided that HGVs will leave the M48 at junctions one (westbound) and junction two (eastbound) via the off-slip roads with re-entry controlled by signals on the on-slips.

Following engagement with local authorities and businesses on proposals, National Highways says this is the preferred solution for the medium-term, while it explores a longer-term solution.

For the vast majority of the time, the system will operate ‘freely’ to release HGVs so they are spread out across the length of the bridge and not concentrated together.

National Highways insists that this will create “very little delay” to HGV or car traffic. 

The system can also be used to keep HGVs off the bridge if there is a significant incident in the area.

Further information:

https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/traffic-light-system-to-allow-hgv-severn-bridge-return