M49 motorway
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| M49 Motorway | |
 Road of the United Kingdom |
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| Length | 5 miles (8 km) |
| Direction | North - South |
| Start | Severn Beach |
| Primary destinations | None |
| End | Avonmouth |
| Construction dates | 1996 - entire motorway |
| Motorways joined |  M4 motorway  M5 motorway |
The M49 motorway is a small motorway west of Bristol, England, that forms a shortcut between the M5 motorway and the Second Severn Bridge on the M4 motorway. The motorway was constructed in 1996[1], at the same time as the bridge. It is unique on the British network for being the only motorway accessible only from other motorways. The original plans provided for an intermediate junction with the A403 to serve an expanded industrial area, but neither this nor the junction came to fruition[2].
The M49 is anomalously numbered, as it is entirely to the south of the M4 and should therefore begin with a 3.
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[edit] Route
It begins at junction 18A of the M5 and then heads roughly north and north west before it reaches its terminal junction with the M4 at junction 22, just before the Second Severn Bridge. It cuts journey times for traffic to and from Avonmouth docks, Central and southern Bristol and South West England. Having a 2-way grade separated roundabout junction with the M4, it also fulfils the dual role of providing a bypass for the busy stretch of the M5 between the Avonmouth Bridge and the M4 in case of that route being shut.
[edit] Junctions
| M49 Motorway | ||
| Northbound exits | Junction | Southbound exits |
| Cardiff, Newport, Bristol SOUTH WALES M4 |
M4 J22 | Start of Motorway |
| Start of Motorway | M5 J18 | Bristol, Taunton SOUTH WEST M5 Avonmouth, Bristol West A4 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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