M49 motorway
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| Route information | |
| Length: | 5.0 mi (8.0 km) |
| Existed: | 1996 – present |
| Major junctions | |
| North end: | Severn Beach |
 M4 motorway  M5 motorway |
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| South end: | Avonmouth |
| Road network | |
The M49 motorway is a 5-mile (8.05 km) motorway west of Bristol, England, that forms a shortcut between the M5 motorway and the Second Severn Crossing on the M4 motorway. It was constructed in 1996,[1] at the same time as the bridge and is unique as it is only accessible from other motorways. The original plans provided for an intermediate junction with the A403 to serve an expanded industrial area, but neither this nor the junction came to fruition.[2]
The M49 is anomalously numbered, as it is entirely to the south of the M4 and should therefore begin with a 3.
Contents |
[edit] Route
It begins at junction 18A of the M5 and then heads roughly north and north west before it reaches its terminal junction with the M4 at junction 22, just before the Second Severn Crossing. It cuts journey times for traffic to and from Avonmouth docks, Central and southern Bristol and South West England. Having a two-way grade separated roundabout junction with the M4, it also fulfils the dual role of providing a bypass for the busy stretch of the M5 between the Avonmouth Bridge and the M4 in case of that route being shut.
[edit] Junctions
Data[3] from driver location signs are used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information.
| M49 motorway | |||
| km | Northbound exits | Junction | Southbound exits |
| 0.0 | Bristol, London M4(E) | M4 J22 terminus |
The South West, Avonmouth M49 |
| South Wales, Cardiff, Newport M4(W) | Start of motorway | ||
| Start of motorway | Terminus A4, M5 J18 & J18A |
Avonmouth, Bristol, Airport A4 | |
| 8.5 | South Wales, Cardiff, Newport (M4(W)) M49 | The South West, Weston-s-Mare, M5 | |
Information above gathered from Advanced Direction Signs May 2011
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ CBRD Motorway Database - M49
- ^ Pathetic Motorways - M49
- ^ "Traffic England Live Traffic Condition Map (selected Popups)". Highways Agency. http://www.trafficengland.com/map.aspx. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
[edit] External links
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