People living on the west side of Bristol and on the Severn estuary coast are being given the chance to check out the plans to complete the missing motorway junction on the M49 - at last. The junction at Pilning was finished in 2019 but the connection between the roundabout and the rest of the road network was never completed and the junction can't be used until it is.
That has meant local residents and all the HGVs from all the distribution centres and huge industrial have had to travel down to Avonmouth and join the M5 and M49 there, causing daily traffic headaches from Severn Beach and Pilning to Avonmouth.
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But now, South Gloucestershire Council says it has taken over the job of getting the road finished. Last month Bristol Live revealed the council had taken the first step in the planning process to build a connecting road from the roundabout to Goldcrest Way and the rest of the road network around the Pilning industrial estates, by submitting a scoping request for an Environmental Impact Assessment to its own planning department.
The link road would only need to be around 160 yards long, but it hasn't been completed for three years because of what metro Mayor Dan Norris described as a 'crazy' situation involving Highways England and South Gloucestershire Council. The Council has emphasised that it was never initially responsible for the construction of the link road, and that it is only now it has stepped-in that the link is being built.
But now, at last, the council is holding a 'community engagement session' where it will reveal plans for the link road. It says the session, which takes place next week at Pilning Village Hall, will give the public the opportunity to 'see the designs' for the 160-yard road, which will create a direct access from the Severnside industrial and enterprise area and the M49.
A council spokesperson said: "It will also be a chance for the public to meet the project manager, who will be on hand to answer any questions, and to talk through the project programme including the next steps. The council is working closely with stakeholders to progress the new link road to the west of the M49 junction as quickly as possible. It is a key, strategic transport project which will unlock significant benefits to South Gloucestershire, local communities, and the wider region.
"The link road will help build upon the economic potential of the area, relieve congestion on the local highway network and improve road safety," the spokesperson added.
The man with the job of getting the link road done is Cllr Steve Reade, the cabinet member for planning and transport at South Gloucestershire Council. “Following our decision last year to take on a new role to accelerate completion of this scheme, we are now close to submitting the planning application, so we want to give the public the chance to comment on the designs.
“It’s important to us to engage with the public as they are very much part of our vision. We want to share with them what is happening and what the next steps will be. We are moving forward with plans, and we remain committed to ensuring that the new link road is completed, linking the new M49 junction to the Enterprise Zone and unlocking the potential for further economic benefit," he added.
The council said the scheme is 'technically complex' and the 'best engineering solutions need to be determined'. "However, the intention is to deliver the scheme in the shortest reasonable timescales, whilst keeping the community and stakeholders updated as the project progresses," the council said.
After the plans are unveiled, a planning application will be submitted, then there will be another period of public consultation, before the council decides whether or not to give itself planning permission for the link road, and if it does, it can then build it.
Construction could start next year, with the road open 'as soon as possible', the council said. The community event takes place on Thursday, November 17 between 4pm and 8pm at Pilning Village Hall, Cross Hands Road, Pilning. The council is urging local businesses and residents to drop in - the presentation will be repeated throughout the afternoon and evening.
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