Third party scheme - M49 Avonmouth junction

Construction of a new junction on the M49 to unlock the economic potential of the Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area.

Start date 11 December 2017

End date 2019-20

Cost £40 million - £50 million

M49 Avonmouth completed junction

Aerial view December 2018

Latest updates

02 August 2022

Link road design

South Gloucestershire Council is now working with the Department of Transport and National Highways on the design and construction of the link road to connect the new motorway junction at Western Approach Distribution Park.

Next steps require the council to obtain privately owned land, progress the design of the new road and obtain necessary consents, including Planning Permission.

The council is not yet able to confirm a programme of work, as the scheme is technically complex and the best engineering solutions need to be determined. Final road designs should be completed later this year.

We’ll open the junction to traffic once the link road is complete and connected to the local road network.

For more information and updates on the link road plans go to South Gloucestershire Council’s scheme webpage.
21 February 2022

Farm Lane bridge has been in place for many years and was incorporated into the design of the new M49 junction. The original bridge joints have now reached the end of their design life and need to be replaced.

Work will take place from 28 February to 11 March (Monday to Friday) during daytime hours. To carry out the work safely, 24/7 lane closures will be in place on the M49 beneath the bridge. The footpath/cycleway will be unaffected by this work and will remain open.

An agreement has been reached for South Gloucestershire Council to deliver the connecting local authority roads to the junction.

In the meantime, we will continue to work with and assist South Gloucestershire Council as plans are progressed. This essential bridge joint work will ensure that Farm Lane Bridge will be ready for traffic once the link roads are constructed.
14 September 2020

Traffic management removed

We’ve now completed construction of the new junction on the M49 motorway and removed the supporting traffic management. We’ll be completing our tree planting now it’s the autumn. So far, we’ve planted over 3000 trees around the new junction, but we’ll also be hydroseeding and planting more trees between now and November 2020. We need to carry out the planting during these months for optimal growth.

As per our commitment in the government’s Road Investment Strategy, our completion of the junction will now allow local developers to build connecting roads into the stubs of the junction. From recent discussions, we’re aware that the developer has started design work and with the aim of starting construction in the near future.

We’ll open the new junction to traffic once the link roads are completed and connected to the local road network.

See more updates

Project information

The new junction we've built on the M49 is located to the south of the Western Approach Distribution Park and west of the village of Easter Compton.

The design features a two-bridge junction. It uses the existing bridge at Farm Lane with a second bridge that we've built immediately next to it. The two bridges are incorporated into a single roundabout that spans the motorway. New access and exit slip roads have been built on both sides of the motorway junction so that it connects fully with both northbound and southbound traffic. The new bridge over the M49 also includes a dedicated lane for walkers, cyclists and other users.

South Gloucestershire Council is now working with the Department of Transport and National Highways on the design and construction of the link road to connect the new motorway junction at Western Approach Distribution Park.

We committed, along with South Gloucestershire Council, to unlocking the economic potential of the Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area. It's an important regional employment site and was previously the largest brownfield site in Western Europe.

As the port of Avonmouth and the Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area to the west of Bristol currently have no direct access to the M49, it has hindered proposals to support economic growth in the area. The new junction on the M49 opens these areas, and once the developers build the connecting roads, will ease congestion and contribute to the economic growth of the local area and wider region.

Since our construction started in December 2017, the site has already attracted new economic activity and associated employment in diverse sectors including, waste management, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution.