M49 closed after crash near M4 causes motorway chaos
The M49 in South Gloucestershire has reopened after a crash this afternoon (February 20). Reports of the collision on the motorway near the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge came in at around 11.30am and the road was closed on one side to allow for recovery. Initially, only one lane was closed but both National Highways and traffic monitoring site, Inrix, say the whole southbound road was shut.
Inrix, reports: "M49 Southbound closed, slow traffic due to recovery work and accident from M4 Prince of Wales Bridge J22 to M5 J18." Highways cameras show people in high-visibility yellow jackets on the carriageway next to a lorry. National Highways said the road is closed southbound between the M4 at junction 22 and the M5 at junction 18 near Avonmouth to carry out an emergency recovery operation.
It said: "This work is being completed under a full closure to ensure safety." The crash closure is causing delays on the M49 and M4 but the nearby M48 motorway is also seeing delays for a different reason, as high winds trigger the safety restrictions on the Severn Bridge. At 4.45pm, National Highways said the M48 was reopened in both directions.
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