The Severn Bridges
Our bridges across the River Severn connect England and Wales, providing a vital link for businesses and communities. Here you can find information about current and planned closures of the bridges.
Lighting on the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge
Following recent emergency work we've had to temporarily switch off lighting on the bridge.
Please take care when driving at night.
A 40mph advisory speed limit is in place on the bridge when it's dark for your safety.
For the latest updates, please follow @2SevernBridges on X (formerly Twitter).
M48 Severn Bridge heavy goods vehicles over 7.5t weight restriction - in force from 27 May 2025
Due to the condition of main bridge cables, we need to reduce the load on the bridge to keep it open to most traffic.
For the time being, this means removing the heaviest vehicles.
Learn more about the M48 Severn Bridge weight restriction.
Scheduled maintenance
Like any major structure, the bridges need frequent maintenance to keep them in a safe and serviceable condition. Sometimes we need to close a bridge to keep road users and our team safe while we work.
The road surface on the M48 Severn Bridge is much narrower than a typical motorway, so there is less space for us to carry out maintenance. This means that we need to close the Severn Bridge more often than most other motorways.
We understand that these closures cause disruption to road users and local communities, and we’re striving to keep the bridges open as often as we can.
Our work isn’t always visible. We may be carrying out repairs underneath the road surface, or waiting for construction materials to dry or set before continuing our work.
M48 Severn Bridge: Upcoming resurfacing trial - Saturday 01 August until Sunday 27 September 2026
The original bridge design and construction in the 1960s featured a 35mm surface that was laid by hand. This was replaced between 1989 and 1991 with the same thickness of material.
Any new surfacing needs to be laid at the same thickness of just 35mm, compared to 40mm+ on more modern bridge structures. This is to ensure the weight across the structure is not increased above that for which it was designed.
As part of the long-term maintenance of the bridge, we’re trialing resurfacing a 200-metre section of the bridge westbound to ensure that the new road surfacing can be laid thin enough using a machine.
Once the trial surface has been laid, regular inspections will take place to ensure the surface remains in sound condition. If the trial is successful, we’ll be fully resurfacing both carriageways in 2027 / 2028.
How we’ll be working
We know the bridges are a key economic link between England and Wales.
We’re doing all we can to keep disruption to a minimum. We’ll be working over the summer period as this is primarily a commuter route and the quietest time of the year for traffic on the bridge.
To enable our teams to work safely, we’ll be installing a temporary contraflow system on the Severn Bridge.
When the contraflow is operational, there will be a single narrow lane running in each direction on the eastbound carriageway. There will also be a 30mph limit and average speed cameras.
Access will be maintained throughout to Chepstow.
Upcoming closures
We’ll be working from Saturday 01 August until Sunday 27 September 2026 for the resurfacing trial.
Contraflow will be in place from 8pm Saturday 08 August until 8pm Friday 18 September 2026.
To set up the contraflow, there will be a mixture of overnight closures, lane closures and 24hour weekend closures.
During full closures, well signed diversion routes will be in place via the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.
Closures
Saturday 01 August - (8pm – 6am)
- Full overnight closure of westbound carriageway and lane 2 closure eastbound.
- Westbound diversion via M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.
Sunday 02 August - (6am – 8pm)
- Daytime westbound lane 2 closure. 30mph limit in place.
- Full overnight closure of eastbound carriageway and lane 2 closure westbound.
- Eastbound diversion via M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.
Monday 03 August – Thursday 06 August - (6am – 8pm)
- Daytime eastbound and westbound lane 2 closure. 30mph limit in place.
- Full overnight closure of westbound carriageway and lane 2 closure eastbound.
- Westbound diversion via M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.
Friday 07 August (daytime) - (6am – 8pm)
- Daytime eastbound and westbound lane 2 closure.
- 30mph limit in place.
From 8pm Friday 07 August until 8pm Saturday 08 August - inclusive 24/7
- Closure of westbound and eastbound carriageways.
- Diversion via M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.
Contraflow
From 8pm Saturday 08 August until 8pm Friday 18 September - contraflow in operation
- There will be a single narrow 3m wide lane running in each direction on the eastbound carriageway.
- We'll be working on the westbound carriageway.
- There will be a 30mph limit in place and average speed cameras.
- In addition, the footpath on the westbound side will be closed.
- The footpath on the eastbound side will remain open.
Closures
From 8pm Friday 18 September until 8pm Saturday 19 September - inclusive 24/7
- Closure of westbound and eastbound carriageways.
- Diversion via M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.
Saturday 19 September (8pm – 6am)
- Overnight eastbound and westbound lane 2 closure.
- 30mph limit in place.
Sunday 20 September - Thursday 24 September (6am – 8pm)
- Daytime eastbound and westbound lane 2 closure.
- 30mph limit in place.
- Full overnight closure of westbound carriageway and lane 2 closure eastbound.
- Westbound diversion via M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.
Friday 25 September (midnight – 8pm)
- Eastbound
Planned closures in the next 7 days
If we’re planning to close either of the bridges in the next seven days, you’ll find further details below. For other closures on the network, including the approaches to the bridges, please visit our daily closures page.
For the week 11/06/2026 to 17/06/2026There are no bridges closures reported at this time
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High winds traffic management
Why do we close the M48 Severn Bridge during windy weather?
Our number one priority is that everybody stays safe, whether they're a member of the public or part of our workforce.
During windy conditions, the Severn Estuary can funnel strong gusts across the bridges, which can be hazardous to traffic.
This is why we sometimes need to restrict access to the Severn Bridge for the safety of our road users. When this happens, we divert traffic on to the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.
The M4 Prince of Wales Bridge has barriers which reduce the effects of wind. The older M48 Severn Bridge doesn't have these barriers.
When do we close the M48 Severn Bridge for windy weather?
When we expect gusts above 40 knots (46mph), we close the M48 Severn Bridge to all traffic until wind speeds have dropped.
If wind speeds exceed 70 knots (80mph), both bridges are closed.
Traffic can still travel between England and Wales by following a diversion using the M5, M50, A40 and A449.
Why is the M48 bridge being closed more frequently?
Our traffic officers previously filtered vulnerable westbound traffic (lorries, motorbikes, and high-sided vehicles) during high winds.
This involved fewer full closures of the bridge. However, it meant that traffic officers had to physically filter vulnerable vehicles on site to stop them travelling on the bridge.
Working in high wind, as well as poor weather and low visibility, became increasingly hazardous for our teams. This is why we decided on safety grounds to stop filtering high sided vehicles and motorcycles during high winds.
Why has this procedure suddenly changed?
We haven’t filtered traffic on the M48 Severn Bridge since late 2019 as Covid19 work restrictions prevented us from filtering traffic in windy weather in 2020 and 2021.
After we reviewed our high wind traffic management plans in 2022, we decided to stop filtering completely for safety reasons.
As part of this review, we adjusted the wind thresholds for closing the bridge:
- 30 knots – 40mph speed limits in place
- 35 knots – leeward lanes closed with red X signs
- 40 knots – bridge closed
- 70 knots both bridges closed
Why is this happening when the wind doesn’t feel strong?
We appreciate it's frustrating when it doesn’t seem necessary to close the bridge, but our decisions are based on robust information.
We use dedicated forecasts and monitoring equipment on the bridge itself. These are more accurate than online forecasts or wind speeds measured in neighbouring communities
During a bridge closure for high winds, will the foot and cycle path be closed too?
We don’t routinely close the shared paths during wind events.
We may need to close them if there is:
- a critical incident on the bridge
- a severe storm.
Otherwise shared paths will remain open.
Background
The M48 Severn Bridge was built in the 1960s, replacing the ferry service which had operated across the Severn for many years. It consists of four separate structures – the Aust Viaduct, the Severn Bridge, the Beachley Viaduct and the Wye Bridge.
The M4 Prince of Wales Bridge opened in 1996, increasing capacity and providing a more direct route between England and the cities of Newport and Cardiff.
Tolls to cross the bridges into Wales were in place until 2018 before being removed.
Keep in touch
Stay up to date with information about the bridges by checking the Severn Bridges X feed.
