Creating the missing link to the ghost junction on the M49 motorway near Bristol is finally happening - as South Gloucestershire Council has made the first move in what could be a lengthy planning process that will eventually see it built. The unitary authority has taken the first step to getting planning permission to build the junction, three years after the roundabout on the motorway itself was completed.
The M49 junction between Chittening and Severn Beach was meant to provide easy access for the huge distribution centres on the industrial estates between the motorway and the coast, where the likes of Tesco, Amazon and Lidl send large number of lorries into and out of every day. But an issue years ago between National Highways and South Gloucestershire Council means the roundabout road has not been connected to the nearby roads, and a gap of just 150 metres needs to have a road constructed to link the road up with the motorway junction.
This week, finally, South Gloucestershire Council has started the planning process to get the missing link fixed. The council has engaged Bristol-based construction engineering company AECOM, to build the road link, and AECOM has submitted a request to South Gloucestershire Council’s planning department, asking whether it needs to submit an Environmental Impact Assessment as part of a full planning application to build the road.
