M49 motorway

The M49 motorway is a 5-mile (8 km) motorway west of Bristol, England, that forms a link between the M5 motorway at Junction 18, and the Second Severn Crossing, now officially renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge on the M4 motorway at Junction 22. It was constructed in 1996,[1] at the same time as the bridge and is unique as it is only accessible from other motorways.

M49
Route information
Length5.0 mi (8.0 km)
Existed1996–present
Major junctions
North endRedwick
 
M4 motorway

M5 motorway
South endLawrence Weston
Road network
← M48M50 →
Looking north at Dyer's Common with the Second Severn Crossing in the background.

Original plans provided for an intermediate junction with the A403, to serve an expanded industrial area and Severn Beach[2], construction of junction 1 commenced summer 2018 and is due for completion winter 2019.[3] The M49 is anomalously numbered, as it is entirely to the south of the M4 and should therefore begin with a 3.[4]

Route

The M49 begins at junction 18A of the M5 and then heads roughly north and northwest before it reaches its terminal junction with the M4 at junction 22, just before the Second Severn Crossing. It cuts journey times for traffic to and from Avonmouth docks, Central and southern Bristol and South West England.

Compared to driving via the M4/M5 interchange, using the M49 cuts the distance travelled by 6.2 miles. Having a two-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.

Junctions

Data from driver location signs are used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information.[5]

M49 motorway junctions
miles km North-west bound exits (B carriageway) Junction South-east bound exits (A carriageway)
0.0 0.0 Bristol, London M4(E) M4 J22
terminus		 The South West, Avonmouth M49
South Wales, Cardiff, Newport M4(W) Start of motorway
5.3 8.5 Start of motorway Terminus
A4, M5
J18 & J18A		 Avonmouth, Bristol, Airport A4
South Wales, Cardiff, Newport (M4(W)) M49 The South West, Weston-s-Mare, M5
Notes
  • Distances in kilometres and carriageway identifiers are obtained from driver location signs/location marker posts. Where a junction spans several hundred metres and the data is available, both the start and finish values for the junction are shown.
  • Junction 1 is under construction.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Information above gathered from Advanced Direction Signs May 2011

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gollark: Deploy the beesMake heavpoot freeze
gollark: And you say he does nothing!Clearly you're bluffing.
gollark: Those slingshot things sound painfulBeing shot with them would... not be gainful?
gollark: You need to say it in rhymeyo yo yo lime?

See also

References
  1. CBRD Motorway Database – M49
  2. Pathetic Motorways – M49
  3. Highways England - M49 Avonmouth junction
  4. Pathetic Motorways – M49
  5. "Traffic England Live Traffic Condition Map (selected Popups)". Highways Agency. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2009.

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