Signal system would see bridge weight limit lifted

A SIGNAL system to allow heavy goods vehicles to cross the M48 Severn Bridge could be put in place - but not for a year.

- TWM OWEN

The bridge that connects Wales and England and carried some 32,000 vehicles in 2024, has been closed to vehicles weighing 7.5 tonnes or more since May in an effort to reduce the load on the crossing due to weakening cables.

Lorries, including many needing to access and exit industrial estates in the Chepstow area, have instead had to take a 13-mile detour and use the M4 Prince of Wales bridge.

Monmouthshire council and politicians in Gwent have been calling for a solution to allow heavy goods vehicles to access the bridge, with National Highways having said it was working on a medium-term and long-term solution with the weight restriction having expected to be in place for 18 months.

It has now said it could be lifted by October 2026 by using a signal system to allow controlled crossings over the structure which first opened in September 1966.