M48 motorway

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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]

[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

It 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 up to Ross on Wye or through Chepstow to pass north of the River Severn Estuary.^[3] After opening the route became increasingly busy and in 1984 a report was commissioned into a Second Severn Crossing.^[4] After 4 years of construction this new route was opened in 1996 and the M4 was diverted over the newer bridge.^[2] This motorway was renumbered as the M48 and it now shares the traffic between England & Wales at this point.

[edit] Junctions

• The services, having no counterpart on the M4, give traffic wishing to use them a motive to use the old bridge and help share traffic between the bridges.
• Junction 2 also serves the Wye Valley.

[edit] See also

• List of motorways in the United Kingdom

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• CBRD Motorway Database - M48
• The Motorway Archive - M48