Drivers have been warned they face delays as a well-used bridge that goes over the M4 is being closed from 7pm today (July 12). National Highways said the A432 Badminton Road M4 overbridge between Bristol and Yate will be closed while workers assess the structural safety of the bridge.
A recent inspection has revealed accelerated deterioration and cracking to the South East underside of the bridge, National Highways said. As a result, a full structural assessment will now be made.
Until the investigation is complete, National Highways said it will remain closed to motorists, with diversion routes being set up. It will stay open as normal to pedestrians and cyclists though.
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National Highways Route Manager Sean Walsh said: “We’ve been communicating with local businesses, stakeholders and South Gloucestershire Council and other local authorities to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause and ask those travelling in this area to please allow additional time for your journeys.”
To reduce delays, diversions have been set up around the road closure:
- Northbound via the B4465 Westerleigh Road up to A46 and into Yate via A432.
- Southbound in reverse.
Drivers are also encouraged to use the A420 and A46 for Yate from the Hicks Gate direction on the A4174, and motorway users to use the M4 junction 18 for Yate, rather than the M32 and A4174.
The bridge is maintained by National Highways, but the A432 - carried by the bridge across the M4 - is part of South Gloucestershire Council’s road network. Councillor Leigh Ingham, South Gloucestershire Council cabinet member for communities and local place, said: “We understand the technical challenges faced by National Highways with this essential investigation work to ensure the safety of their bridge.
“We are supporting National Highways with the diversion route, working as quickly as we can to put the appropriate measures in place. The National Highways bridge is a critical part of the South Gloucestershire network, and we will continue to work closely with them to minimise the disruption this work will create.”
National Highways said it is rare to see structural failures such as the one on the A432 bridge though some components, such as bridge expansion joints, fail from time to time. Most failures that do occur are as the result of external factors such as flooding and accident damage, it added.
