NATIONAL Highways has confirmed that the new Badminton Road bridge over the M4 will open to traffic in June.
The bridge next to the Wick Wick roundabout junction of the A432 and A4174, which has been under construction for the past six months, is set to open to pedestrians and cyclists first, on the afternoon of June 19.
Motorists will be able to drive over from 7am the next day, ending nearly three years of diversions and delays on the main road between Downend and Yate.
The old bridge, which carried 16,000 vehicles a day, closed in July 2023 when an inspection discovered “accelerated deterioration and cracking” in the concrete and steel structure, built in 1966.
Since then traffic has been diverted onto narrow country lanes in order to reach Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Coalpit Heath and Frampton Cotterell.
The government’s road management body launched an accelerated programme to design a new bridge. The old one was demolished in March last year and the new bridge beams were installed in October, during two of three complete weekend closures of the M4 between Hambrook and Tormarton staged as part of the work.
National Highways route manager Sean Walsh said the new bridge was being finished “much faster than usual for a project of this size”.
He said: “Since we announced the old bridge needed to be demolished, the team have worked incredibly hard to deliver this project in just two and half years – half of the five years it would normally take.
“I would like to thank everyone in South Gloucestershire for their patience and support during this project.”
South Gloucestershire Council is building upgraded pedestrian and cycle paths on either side of the bridge, which has been widened to ensure traffic lanes and paths meet modern safety standards.
Side barriers have also been built higher to increase safety for people walking and cycling on the bridge.
Council leader Maggie Tyrrell and co-leader Ian Boulton said the opening of the new bridge “will come as a huge relief to everyone affected by its closure,” adding: “This is a vital route between Yate and Bristol, and its reopening means local communities along it are reconnected, helping people get to work, school, shops and services more easily, and restoring an important link for local businesses.
“We have worked closely with National Highways throughout the process, providing our input into the design and putting measures in place to help minimise the impact of the closure on the surrounding road network.”
A final series of overnight closures for the motorway between junctions 18 and 19 will take place over two weeks from June 1-6 and 8-13, from 8pm to 6am, for the final work on the embankments.