| M48 motorway | |
Road of the United Kingdom |
|
| Length | 12 miles (19.3 km) |
| Direction | East - West |
| Start | Olveston |
| Primary destinations | Chepstow |
| End | Magor |
| Construction dates | 1966 - entire motorway |
| Motorways joined |   J21 → M4 motorway  J23 → M4 motorway |
later renumbered M48
The M48 is a motorway in Great Britain joining Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire over the original Severn Bridge. The M48 is anomalously numbered, as it is entirely to the west of the M5 motorway and its number should really therefore begin with 5.[1]
Contents |
Route
Travelling east to west after leaving the M4 near Olveston in England. It then heads north west to Junction 1 near Aust. It then passes through a toll booth westbound only and crosses the Severn Bridge. On the Wye Bridge it crosses into Wales immediately to the south of Chepstow. It then heads south west after Junction 2 past Crick and to the north of Caldicot. The motorway then merges back with the M4 near Magor.
History
The M48 was opened as part of the M4 in 1966.[2] Before this date traffic between England and South Wales was either taken through on a motorail service through the Severn Tunnel, used the Aust Ferry (which was unsuitable for Heavy Goods Vehicles) or travelled through Gloucester to pass north of the Severn Estuary.[3]
After opening the route became increasingly busy so, in 1984, a report was commissioned into a Second Severn Crossing.[4] After four years of construction this new route was opened in 1996 and the M4 was diverted over the newer bridge.[2] The original stretch of motorway was renumbered as M48 and now shares the traffic between England and Wales.
Junctions
| M48 Motorway | ||
| Eastbound exits | Junctions | Westbound exits |
| London, Bristol M4 | M4, J21 | Start of motorway |
| Severn Beach A403, Thornbury B4461 | J1 Severn View services |
Severn Beach A403, Thornbury B4461 |
| No Tolls | Tolls | Toll Booth |
| ENGLAND | ||
| Severn and Wye Bridges | ||
| WALES | ||
| Chepstow A466 | J2 | Chepstow A466 |
| Start of Motorway | M4, J23 | Newport, Cardiff M4 |
- The services have no counterpart on the M4, giving travellers wishing to use them a motive to use the older bridge and helping to share traffic between the bridges.
- Junction 2 also serves the Wye Valley.
See also
References
- ^ "Motorway Database - M48". CBRD. http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/m48/. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
- ^ a b "Severn Crossing Dates". The Motorway Archive. http://www.iht.org/motorway/m4severnstat.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
- ^ "Severn Crossing". The Motorway Archive. http://www.iht.org/motorway/m4severn.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
- ^ "Second Severn Crossing". The Motorway Archive. http://www.iht.org/motorway/m4sscscheme.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
External links
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