M48 motorway

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M48 Motorway

Road of the United Kingdom
Length 12 miles (19.3 km)
Direction East - West
Start Alveston
Primary destinations Severn Beach
Chepstow
Magor
Caldicot
End Magor
Construction dates 1966 - entire motorway
Motorways joined 21 & 23 -
M4 motorway
Construction of the M4,later renumbered M48
Construction of the M4,
later renumbered M48

The M48 is a motorway in Gloucestershire, England and Monmouthshire, Wales. It includes 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

[edit] 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. 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.

[edit] 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 ferries unsuitable for Heavy Goods Vehicles or travelled to Ross on Wye or through Chepstow 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.

[edit] Junctions

M48 on the Severn Bridge looking towards Wales
M48 on the Severn Bridge looking towards Wales
M48 Motorway
Eastbound exits Westbound exits
London, Bristol M4 M4 J21 Start of motorway
Severn Beach A403, Thornbury B4461
Severn View services		 J1 Severn Beach A403, Thornbury B4461
Severn View services
No Tolls Toll Booth
ENGLAND
Severn Bridge
WALES
Chepstow A466 J2 Chepstow A466
Start of Motorway M4 J23 Newport, Cardiff M4
  • The services have no counterpart on the M4 so give travellers wishing to use them a motive to use the older bridge and help share traffic between the bridges.
  • Junction 2 also serves the Wye Valley.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Motorway Database - M48. CBRD. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
  2. ^ a b Severn Crossing Dates. The Motorway Archive. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
  3. ^ Severn Crossing. The Motorway Archive. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
  4. ^ Second Severn Crossing. The Motorway Archive. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.

[edit] External links

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