M48 motorway

The M48 is a 12-mile-long motorway which connects Gloucestershire, and Monmouthshire, via the original Severn Bridge. The M48 is anomalously numbered, as it is entirely to the west of the M5 motorway thus falling into zone 5 of the motorway numbering system.

Route

Travelling from east to west, after leaving the M4 at Awkley, Junction 21, near Olveston, the M48 begins by heading north-west towards Aust, Junction 1. It then passes through a toll booth for westbound traffic only, and crosses the Severn and Wye rivers via their respective bridges. Entering Monmouthshire, the M48 heads south-west after Junction 2, passing to the south of Chepstow, past Crick and continuing in a south-westerly direction, passing Caldicot and Rogiet. The motorway rejoins the M4 at Undy, Junction 23 to the east of Magor.

Junction 2 can be reached via the A466, which leads to the A48. The junction gives access to the Wye Valley, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. When travelling either east or west on the M4, the M48 is the most direct route for Chepstow and Caldicot.

History

Construction of the M48 near the hamlet of Ingst; at that time it was numbered M4

The M48 was opened as part of the M4 in 1966. Before this date traffic between South West England and South Wales was either transported on a motorail service through the Severn Tunnel, used the Aust Ferry (which was unsuitable for large goods vehicles) or travelled through Gloucester to pass north of the Severn Estuary.

After opening, the route became increasingly busy, and in 1984 a report was commissioned into a Second Severn Crossing. After four years of construction this new route was opened in 1996 and the M4 was diverted over the newer bridge. The original stretch of motorway was renumbered as M48 and now shares the traffic.

Services

Junction 1 is the location of Severn View services (formerly called Aust Services when originally opened for the M4 motorway), which can also be accessed by the A403, from Avonmouth. There is a footpath leading from the service station to allow pedestrians to cross the bridge.

When the M4 was diverted over the Second Severn Crossing, it was anticipated that these services may close. However, although the original building – which had offered views of the River Severn – was sold, due to business falling as a consequence of traffic using the newer bridge, operations continued in a new, much smaller development on an adjacent site nearer the motorway junction.

Junctions

M48 toll booths

Data from driver location signs are used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information. Where a junction spans several hundred metres and start and end points are available, both are cited.

M48 motorway
mile	Eastbound exits (B carriageway)	Junction	Westbound exits (A carriageway)
Gloucestershire
117.6	London, Bristol M4	M4 J21 Terminus	Chepstow, Services M48 Start of motorway
120.5	Avonmouth A403, Services	J1 Services	Avonmouth A403, Services
120.8	No tolls	Tolls	Toll booth
121.1	No access	Severn Bridge	No access
Monmouthshire
122.8	No access	Wye Bridge	No access
123.2 123.4	Chepstow A466 (A48)	J2	Chepstow A466 (A48)
130.2	Start of motorway Chepstow, Services M48	Terminus M4 J23	Newport, Cardiff M4
Notes Distances and carriageway identifiers are obtained from driver location signs/location marker posts. Where a junction spans several hundred yards and the data is available, both the start and finish values for the junction are shown.

Information above gathered from Advanced Direction Signs May 2011

Outside links

• CBRD Motorway Database – M48
• The Motorway Archive – M48