South Gloucestershire Council has stated that it is "committed" to completing a road link to the M49 'ghost junction' with £7m of funding it has secured from the Department for Transport. Last week, plans were revealed to buy the remaining land required to build a 160-metre road that will connect the motorway roundabout to the local network, although the council has disclosed it does not know who owns one of the plots needed to finish the job.
Located between Severn Beach and Chittening, National Highways spent £40m to £50m building the M49 junction, which was finished in 2020. It was intended to provide easy access to the nearby Severnside industrial estates and huge nearby distribution centres, including Amazon, Tesco and Lidl.
However, adjoining land issues were not resolved prior to construction, and since 2020 the junction has languished incomplete and unconnected to local roads. South Gloucestershire Council says it has now submitted a planning application for a new M49 junction link road to allow direct access from the Severnside industrial and enterprise area to the motorway to help relieve congestion.
