M5 junction 11 reopens on schedule after 18-month upgrade work

A major upgrade of two bridges supporting a major gyratory linking the M5 and A40 in Gloucestershire has been completed on schedule, and in time for anticipated increased traffic levels for the Cheltenham Festival.

Essential repair work on the 50-year-old structures supporting the M5 junction 11 Golden Valley gyratory started in September 2020 and the refurbishment will ensure drivers will have safe and reliable journeys for many years to come.

National Highways’ refurbishment scheme involved complex repairs and deep excavations to the two main supporting bridges between Gloucester and Cheltenham.

The majority of work took place on the M5 north to south bridges, but repairs were also carried out to the A40 east to west bridge decks, and during the programme, National Highways took the opportunity to carry out further maintenance, including vegetation clearance and signage cleaning, during the closures.

Excavation work carried out on the M5 Junction 11 bridges

The £12 million refurbishment work included the removal and reconstruction of a number of walls, concrete repairs to the bridge decks, replacement of bridge bearings, removal and reconstruction of parapet beams and safety fencing, and waterproofing and entire resurfacing of the gyratory carriageway and footpath.

And during the 18-month programme of work the gyratory was fully closed for safety reasons, although drivers were still able to join and leave the M5 via the slip roads.

Mark Fox, National Highways’ South West Head of Scheme Delivery, said:

“Despite Covid restrictions earlier in the project, and some challenging weather conditions over the last 18 months, the scheme has been managed fantastically start to finish by both ourselves and our supply chain who have ensured we have finished on schedule.

“We appreciate that roadworks can be frustrating, we made every effort to ensure the impact on the local community was kept to an absolute minimum, and we’d like to thank motorists for their patience while this vital improvement scheme was carried out.”

In the meantime, National Highways is well under way with a similar scheme to refurbish the Brookfield Road bridge over the M5 near Churchdown, with work scheduled to complete before Christmas, while delayed repair work to the Staverton bridge is entering its final stages and scheduled to finish in the spring.