Busy bridge used by over 30,000 drivers a day CLOSES to heavy vehicles next month in ‘devastating move'
A MAJOR route into Wales will ban heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in a move drivers say will cost them 'immensely.'
The M48 River Severn Bridge will ban vehicles over 7.5 tonnes for 18 months from 27 May after cables supporting the historic structure were found to be deteriorating.
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Instead, they will be forced to make a lengthy detour via the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge, which a director of a Haulage company warned was unreliable.
National Highways has claimed it has 'no choice' but to block the heaviest trucks as its main priority is to protect public safety.
But James Burton, director of M&J Transport, told BBC Radio Bristol that the impact on his industry could be 'devastating.'
He argued that if the proposed alternative, the Prince of Wales bridge, shut down due to bad weather or a crash it woud it would completely cut off HGVS from the Severn crossing.
He said: "They've not put any plans or any thought into what's going to happen when it gets busy in the summer, or if there's any closures. The cost to the industry and the cost to us personally would be immense," he said.
Chris Pope, from National Highways, said that if they didn't ban HGVs, they would be forced to close it completely.
He said: 'We want to keep the bridge running for people, but the solution we have found is that we've managed to keep it open for 90% of people.
"It is safe, it's all about loading, and unfortunately, we are in a position where about 85% of the loading that the main suspension cables are carrying is actually the bridge itself."
Caroline Tovey of Richard Tovery Transport pointed out that the new route already forces drivers on a 14-mile detour.
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She added that some areas may find "large vehicles being rerouted through their communities".
"It isn't just about the money, it's about infrastructure that isn't used to (HGVs)."
Claire Young, MP for Thornbury and Yate, told the BBC it would cost between £300million to £600million to strengthen the bridge to take the current load of HGVs.
She argues that the infrastructure dates to the sixties, and that vehicles and traffic have got heavier.
She said: "It has the potential to really impact the local economy. The government says its top priority is growth. If we are going to have that, we need the infrastructure to support it."
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