Drivers are advised that lane closures on the M4 westbound between junction 18 and 19 will remain in place on Wednesday following an incident yesterday morning (Monday).
The third lane will remain closed with a 40 mph speed limit in place for the safety of drivers following yesterday’s incident involving a lorry and two cars.
The incident happened at around 8.30am yesterday on the Frome Bridge near Bath. The lorry overturned on the westbound carriageway rupturing its fuel tank.
Extensive damage has been caused to over 30 metres of bridge parapet, which has left a ten metre drop next to the central reservation. Around 50 metres of central reservation barrier have also been damaged and large volume of fuel has leaked onto the carriageway, which will require resurfacing.
Rob Llewellyn said, “We had hoped to get three lanes open by Wednesday morning. The preparatory work is more complex and resource intensive than we first realised which means we’ll need to keep lane restrictions in place for a little while longer.
“These repairs are safety critical and we hope that drivers will understand how important it is to carry them out to the highest possible standard and bear with us for a little while longer while we prepare for the work.”
The repair work will begin on (Wednesday 7 March), with overnight closures. The M4 will be closed westbound between the two junctions from 8pm to 6am tomorrow morning. When closed, drivers will be diverted to exit at junction 18 to take the A46 northbound, then the A432, the A4174 to join the M32 northbound, then exit at junction 1 to re-join the M4 at junction 19, following the solid black circle diversion.
Drivers are advised of possible delays and to plan their journeys and listen to the last traffic reports for the latest information.
