A48 road

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A48 road
The A48 (Eastern Avenue, Cardiff)
Direction	East - West
Start	Highnam
Primary destinations1	Chepstow Newport Cardiff Bridgend Port Talbot Neath Swansea
End	Carmarthen
Roads joined	M4 motorway A40 road A4151 road A466 road A449 road A455 road A4042 road A4072 road A48(M) motorway A4232 road A4161 road A469 road A470 road A4119 road A4161 road A4050 road A4226 road A4222 road A473 road A4106 road A4229 road A4107 road A4241 road A474 road A483 road A4230 road A4217 road A4067 road A483 road A4240 road A4138 road A476 road A484 road
Euroroute(s)	E 30
Notes Primary destinations as specified by the Department for Transport.

The A48 is a major trunk road in Great Britain. It runs from the A40 at Highnam 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Gloucester to the A40 at Carmarthen. Before the construction of the M4 motorway and the first Severn Bridge in the mid 1960s it was the principal route into south Wales. For most of its journey through Wales, it runs almost parallel to its successor. Before the construction of the Second Severn Crossing, during times of high winds at the Severn Bridge the A48 was used as part of the diversion route, and is still marked as a Holiday Route.

From Gloucester the A48 runs through the villages of Minsterworth, Westbury-on-Severn, connects to a link road to Cinderford in the Forest of Dean then through Newnham, Blakeney and bypassing the town of Lydney (the bypass was built in the 1990s) on the west bank of the River Severn. Continuing west along the South Wales coast, it connects Chepstow (also bypassed), Newport, Cardiff, Cowbridge, Bridgend, Pyle, Port Talbot, Neath, Swansea before terminating at Carmarthen.

There is a motorway section (the A48(M)) which is a spur of the M4 starting at junction 29 and ending with the main A48 at St Mellons, Cardiff.

Part of the A48 forms a section of the unsigned Euroroute E30.

[edit] History of the road number

The original (1923) route of the A48 was Worcester to Carmarthen via Malvern, Ledbury, Ross, Monmouth, Newport, Cardiff, Bridgend, Neath and Llanelli. In 1935 it was rerouted east of Newport, replacing the A437 between Newport and Gloucester. The road from Worcester to Newport became part of the A449, apart from the section between Ross and Monmouth (which became part of the A40).

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