M49 link road
We are building a link road to create direct access from Severnside and Avonmouth to the motorway to help reduce congestion on local roads.
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About this project
We are working with the Department for Transport and National Highways on construction of a link road to connect Severnside and the wider Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area (ASEA) to the motorway junction on the M49 at Western Approach Distribution Park.
The work is being funded with a £7 million allocation from the Department for Transport.
Construction is due to start in June 2025 and is expected to last approximately 12 months. These works will include:
- building a temporary site compound on land behind the Travelodge car park
- the creation of a new shared use path from the motorway junction to Goldcrest Way
- ground stabilisation works and installation of a sheet piled wall
- a new drainage system
- an embankment to connect the industrial park to the motorway junction
- surfacing work, lining and signage
- landscaping and ecology work
- a traffic regulation order to control parking and speed
What to expect during the work
Traffic management, including the use of lights and stop/go boards, may be required at different stages of construction.
Walking and cycling routes will be maintained. Diversions will be as short and direct as possible, ensuring the safety of path users and our workers.
Part of Goldcrest Way will close for a short period later in the project to finish the top surface. This may require overnight work to minimise disruption to local companies, and we will consult with those affected.
Workers will typically be on site between 7.30am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, and between 8am and 1pm on Saturdays.
There may be times when deliveries or collections need to take place outside of these hours. Every effort will be made to avoid peak times and stagger traffic to the site to reduce the impact of heavy vehicles using roads in the local community.
All construction traffic will be directed via the most appropriate routes. This will include the A403 and the motorway. The M49 slip road will remain closed for the duration of the project.
We have agreed a construction ecological management plan and a clerk will be on site at the start of the project to ensure all ecological requirements have been met.
Site staff will do regular inspections to monitor air quality and there will be measures in place to minimise the dust produced during construction.
What it means
The new link road will mean that the investment already made by National Highways in the M49 junction is realised.
The benefits of the link road project include helping to:
- reduce congestion on local roads and the motorway
- improve road safety with a 30mph speed limit and crash barriers
- encourage sustainable travel by providing a new route for pedestrians and cyclists
- increase economic activity in the Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area
Other work in the area
Some of the roads within the enterprise area are unfinished and privately owned at present.
We are working with the developer to identify what work is required to bring the roads up to a suitable standard and enable us to take on responsibility for future maintenance.
The work will also require moving and improving part of route 4 of the National Cycle Network.
Project updates
June 2025
Following negotiations with landowners we have secured the 27 parcels of land needed to build the link road. The land has been transferred to us on either a temporary or permanent basis.
We will begin enabling works at the site this month. Construction is expected to take approximately 12 months, with the link road due to be connected to the motorway junction by the end of summer 2026.
March 2024
Cycleway
A planning application was submitted to the Local Planning Authority (LPA) at the end of February for removal of the temporary cycle track which was constructed by National Highways when the gyratory junction was built.
Subject to consent a permanent cycle track will be constructed before removal of the temporary route.
Ecology
We continue to work on creating a new habitat for water voles. We have applied for a licence from Natural England and have requested permission from Amazon to undertake the work on their land. This work is seasonal and must be undertaken before we start the main construction works. We aim to do this by the end of April.
We have also applied for a special licence to deal with Great crested newts.
Design
As part of design work we have engaged with ground stabilisation contractors. We have received tenders for this specialist piece of work and expect to appoint a contractor soon.
In the coming weeks we aim to be on-site to excavate holes for establishing the positioning of the gas main protection slab.
We will also be excavating into the gyratory stub to inform the design of the ‘tie in’ between the gyratory and the new link road.
Land negotiations
While we continue to try and secure land through negotiation we are also progressing the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) but this will only be used as a last resort.
Reviews of the existing agreements held by the landowners have identified some very minor differences over plot boundaries, so we are updating the CPO documents to reflect the outcome of the plot boundary review.
Project timeline
Construction work is scheduled to begin in the summer and is expected to take 12 months however this is subject to change.
December 2023
Planning permission for the new link road was granted on 23 November 2023. Construction work is due to start in 2024, but this timeframe is dependent on land ownership discussions.
We are working proactively with landowners to secure the land as quickly as possible. We are also preparing a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), in case an agreement cannot be reached with a landowner. On 11 December 2023, Cabinet approved some amendments to the CPO boundary.
Impact assessments
Ecological surveys have identified the presence of water voles in the pond fronting the Amazon building. As water voles are a protected species the project team is working with ecologists and Natural England to relocate them to other parts of the pond.
Other surveys carried out to enable the impact of the scheme to be fully assessed include air quality monitoring and traffic counts. The transport assessment is included in the planning application.
March 2023
A planning application has been submitted for the new M49 junction link road.
The Local Planning Authority has launched a public consultation, providing an opportunity for people to comment on the application. Go to our planning applications page and search application number P23/00268/F to view and comment on the application.
We have secured £7 million of funding from the Department for Transport to deliver the project and we are working closely with stakeholders to progress the new link road to the west of the M49 junction as quickly as possible.
Construction work is due to start on site later in 2023, but this timeframe could be subject to change and is dependent on the planning process and land ownership discussions. Construction is expected to last approximately 12 months.
We continue to work proactively with landowners to secure the land as quickly as possible. To achieve this Cabinet recently agreed progression of Compulsory Purchase Order processes at its meeting on 10 February, whilst the council continues with positive negotiations with the respective landowners.
You can read more on this in the cabinet report.
December 2022
Current work on the project includes working towards the consents needed for the new link road such as planning as well as other technical approvals.
A planning application is due to be submitted to the Local Planning Authority by the end of the year.
In order to build the link, we need to obtain privately owned land and we are currently working on this while progressing with the design of the new road.
Detailed design work is in progress. Various surveys have been undertaken including topographical, ecological and ground radar surveys. A geotechnical study is underway, with ground investigation work due to start before the end of November.
Proposed road alignments and an alternative route for cycling and walking have been designed.
Construction work is due to start on site later next year, but this timeframe could be subject to change and is dependent on the planning process and land ownership discussions. Construction is expected to last approximately 12 months.
If you have any questions, please contact the project team at M49linkroad@southglos.gov.uk.
November 2022
Find out more about plans for the new M49 Junction Link Road at a community engagement session in Pilning.
All are welcome to listen to a presentation and to look at the latest designs for the new link road, which will create direct access from the Severnside industrial and enterprise area to the motorway network.
It will also be a chance for you to meet the project manager, who will be on hand to answer any questions, and to talk through the project programme including the next steps.
The drop-in session is being hosted to ensure the public are kept informed ahead of the planning application being submitted.
The sessions is on Thursday 17 November between 4pm and 8pm at Pilning Village Hall, Cross Hands Road, Pilning, BS35 4JB.
No appointments are necessary. The presentation will be repeated throughout the session.
August 2022
Consultants have been appointed to support the project and prepare the planning application for the scheme. It is expected that a planning application will be submitted to the Local Planning Authority later in 2022.
Ecology surveys, design work and geotechnical work have all started and are making progress.
We need to acquire land from several landowners to be able to build the new link road and negotiations with the landowners are ongoing.
Further updates will follow.
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Keep updated
To stay up to date on the M49 link road project you can sign up to our Highway Updates Newsletter.
Information and updates will also be posted on our Facebook and Twitter accounts.
You can also ask us a question by sending an email to M49linkroad@southglos.gov.uk.