The M48 Severn Bridge in Gloucestershire remains closed in both directions between J1 (Aust) and J2 (Chepstow) due to high winds.

National Highways urged road users to use an alternative route or the Prince of Wales Bridge. They said:

‘Our South West Regional Operations Centre are monitoring the wind speeds and will reopen the bridge as soon as the wind speeds reduce to a safe level’.

‘If this closure impacts on your planned route, please allow extra journey time. Plan ahead, you may wish to re-route or even delay your journey’.

National Highways also explained that the M48 bridge is generally more affected by strong winds than the Prince of Wales Bridge. They said:

‘During windy conditions the Severn Estuary can funnel strong gusts across the bridges, which can be hazardous to traffic.

The M4 Prince of Wales Bridge has barriers which reduce the effects of these gusts.

However, the older design of the M48 Severn Bridge didn’t include these barriers, and we sometimes need to restrict access to the Severn Bridge for the safety of our road users.

When this happens, traffic is diverted on to the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.

We use dedicated forecasts and monitoring equipment on the bridge, which are more useful than forecasts found in the media and wind speeds measured in neighbouring communities’.