Certain vehicles will be banned from travelling on one of the UK’s busiest bridges due to safety fears. National Highways has confirmed many Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) will not be allowed to use the iconic M48 Severn crossing connecting England and Wales.
Only HGVs weighing up to 7.5-tonnes in weight can use the road with heavier models forced to use the Prince of Wales bridge from May 27. Restrictions come after safety inspections of the bridge with the plan to minimise further damage to the infrastructure. Officials have warned the weight restriction will remain in place for between 12 and 18 months while National Highways tackles the issue.
Chris Pope, programme delivery manager for National Highways, said the bridge was “not designed” for the weight of modern vehicles.
They said the number of heavy vehicles using the road was “putting greater laid on the cables” which could be a safety concern.
Chris said: “Safety is our number one priority, and this weight restriction is about future-proofing the bridge for years to come.
“Whilst the bridge remains safe, it was not designed and built for today’s levels or weight of traffic. Vehicles have got heavier and traffic levels have increased significantly over the last 60 years putting greater load on the cables.
Using the estimates, it suggests that well over 11million road users travel across the bridge over one calendar year.
Chris added: “We’d like to thank drivers for their support and must stress that only heavy goods vehicles up to 7.5tonnes in weight should use the bridge.
“Continued use of the bridge by heavier heavy goods vehicles could ultimately see it closed to all traffic. We are acting now to prevent this from happening.”
