Why does the A403 not connect to either M4 or M49?

[crazyknightsfan]

Something that has always bugged me in the Severn Beach/Chittening area is the absence of a connection from the A403 to either the M4 or M49. It seems like there is a lot of logistics/industrial development that would benefit from more convenient motorway access but the M49 has no intermediate junctions and M4 J22 doesn't give access to the non-motorway network. Is there any particular reason these connections aren't provided?

[TimM3-A55]

I looked at the area on a map recently and woundered why there wasn't a link between junction 1 of the M48 and the M4/M49 junction. As they insisted in building the M4/M49 junction as a roundabout rather than a free flow fork or trumpet they could have made better use of it. Part of that link would follow the A403.

Not as neat, but a junction where the A403 crosses the M49 would also connect it to the M4 in a roundabout way.

Incidently a new junction is being build on the M49 but not where the A403 crosses (details below), apparently the possibility of intermediate junction on the M49 is the reason the M4/M49 junction is full access.

http://www.roads.org.uk/road-schemes/m4 ... h-junction

[Euan]

For the moment any traffic coming from Wales and intending to access the A403 should be advised by signage to cross the Severn on the M48 rather than on the M4 in order to access the A403 via the roundabout interchange at J1.

[KeithW]

I can understand why it was not deemed advisable for it to connect to the M49. or M4. At the end of the day doing either would require a large junction within 1 mile of an existing junction in an area where there is very heavy traffic.

Traffic from Avonmouth or the Western Approach Distributor Centre may use either the M48 or the M5 at J27. The volumes of traffic on the A403 are not very high but around 50% of it consists of LGV's and HGV's which I dont think you want merging with motorway traffic on either the M4 or M49 less than a mile from the Second Severn Crossing. Sending it via the M48 seems a much more sensible option especially as the A403 also crosses the approaches to the Severn Rail tunnel in the same area.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/51.56 ... !3e0?hl=en

[vlad]

The A403 always used to connect to the M4 - but then the M4 moved!

The A403 isn't that long a road anyway. It meets the M48 at the northern end whilst the southern end is only a short distance from M5 J18, which does provide access to the M49. I'd hazard that when they built the PoW Bridge they assumed that pretty much all regular movements were already permitted by the existing road network so didn't feel the need to put a link in to the new motorways.

If you're on the M4 and want the A403 then you'd just be directed along the M48 - so you'd only really have problems if the Severn Bridge wasn't open.

[crazyknightsfan]

I looked at the area on a map recently and woundered why there wasn't a link between junction 1 of the M48 and the M4/M49 junction. As they insisted in building the M4/M49 junction as a roundabout rather than a free flow fork or trumpet they could have made better use of it. Part of that link would follow the A403.

Not as neat, but a junction where the A403 crosses the M49 would also connect it to the M4 in a roundabout way.

Incidently a new junction is being build on the M49 but not where the A403 crosses (details below), apparently the possibility of intermediate junction on the M49 is the reason the M4/M49 junction is full access.

http://www.roads.org.uk/road-schemes/m4 ... h-junction

Thanks Tim, looks like someone at HE has been thinking the same as me.

[crazyknightsfan]

I have just read a comment on Pathetic Motorways that mentions the intermediate junction on the M49 was to be developer-funded. I managed to track down the South Gloucester Local Plan (2006) which says:

The principle of a junction on the M49, serving the large scale employment
development at Severnside and Avonmouth (in the Bristol administrative
area), was agreed at the parliamentary hearing into the Severn Bridges Bill.
The DETR document "A New Deal For Trunk Roads in England", published
in 1998, states: "the following development driven scheme will be taken
forward subject to agreement with the developer concerned: M49,
Severnside Junction."
Insufficient information is available in order to identify with any precision on
the Proposals Map the area of land to be safeguarded for provision of the
junction. This is therefore identified diagrammatically in Figure 7.8 in the
Written Statement.

[DB617]

I'm surprised the connection was funded under RIS1 - I was convinced that it would have been at least partially funded by Amazon, whose warehouse has popped up almost adjacent to the M49.

Do the plans include a proper link from the A403 to the junction? Is it following that very straight road through the industrial estate?

[Johnathan404]

I'm surprised the connection was funded under RIS1 - I was convinced that it would have been at least partially funded by Amazon

Would be nice if they were to pay for something...

[KeithW]

I'm surprised the connection was funded under RIS1 - I was convinced that it would have been at least partially funded by Amazon, whose warehouse has popped up almost adjacent to the M49.

Do the plans include a proper link from the A403 to the junction? Is it following that very straight road through the industrial estate?

Its not exactly the only the only one however with Accolade Wines, the Coop, Asda and John Lewis all in the area. Add up the income from the tax on the fuel used by the trucks and the business rates and I suspect the income is substantial and will be paid for many years.

[DB617]

I'm surprised the connection was funded under RIS1 - I was convinced that it would have been at least partially funded by Amazon, whose warehouse has popped up almost adjacent to the M49.

Do the plans include a proper link from the A403 to the junction? Is it following that very straight road through the industrial estate?

Its not exactly the only the only one however with Accolade Wines, the Coop, Asda and John Lewis all in the area. Add up the income from the tax on the fuel used by the trucks and the business rates and I suspect the income is substantial and will be paid for many years.

This is why I love roads investment as a concept. It's not a one-way money sink because induced demand means more cars which means more fuel use and tax paid. Of course, as noted above, it may be naive of me to think that any direct contribution is made by the major benefactors of the new junction, who are huge numbers of business and industrial operators on the Severn Beach estates.

[crazyknightsfan]

I'm surprised the connection was funded under RIS1 - I was convinced that it would have been at least partially funded by Amazon, whose warehouse has popped up almost adjacent to the M49.

Do the plans include a proper link from the A403 to the junction? Is it following that very straight road through the industrial estate?

The same doc I quoted does say that thr A403 will be re-routed via the spine road through the industrial estate.

[Chris5156]

I'm surprised the connection was funded under RIS1 - I was convinced that it would have been at least partially funded by Amazon, whose warehouse has popped up almost adjacent to the M49.

Do the plans include a proper link from the A403 to the junction? Is it following that very straight road through the industrial estate?

The same doc I quoted does say that thr A403 will be re-routed via the spine road through the industrial estate.

From which direction, I wonder. I assume it will come from the A4 to the south and be diverted to reach the M49 instead of the M48 - but if so, what will the leftover bit be called?

[KeithW]

I'm surprised the connection was funded under RIS1 - I was convinced that it would have been at least partially funded by Amazon, whose warehouse has popped up almost adjacent to the M49.

Do the plans include a proper link from the A403 to the junction? Is it following that very straight road through the industrial estate?

The same doc I quoted does say that thr A403 will be re-routed via the spine road through the industrial estate.

From which direction, I wonder. I assume it will come from the A4 to the south and be diverted to reach the M49 instead of the M48 - but if so, what will the leftover bit be called?

Looking at the map up the thread I would assume the A403 would start on the A4 at Avonmouth as at present follow the current route as far as Chittering before turning right then follow the Spine road track just west of the M49 and rejoin the existing A403 near Severn Beach to the M49. The bypassed section would become a C class road. As shown on the plan there would be a short Link Road between the new A403 and the new M49 junction.

[Berk]

No-one seems to have mentioned, there’s a potential for a link to J22 from the B4055. But presumably that’s looked down on, as you’d have to pass through Redwick to get there...

[KeithW]

No-one seems to have mentioned, there’s a potential for a link to J22 from the B4055. But presumably that’s looked down on, as you’d have to pass through Redwick to get there...

Well on the A403 there is a signalised T junction for the B4064 which heads towards J22 and Redwick and another as the B4064/B4055 which heads for Pilning. Well now there is the small matter of the 7.5 ton weight limit on both roads that is clearly intended to exclude HGV's and looking at it on GSV I can see why !

Unless you are happy to completely demolish Redwick this is an unacceptable route.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.56606 ... 6656?hl=en

[gepree68]

I'm surprised the connection was funded under RIS1 - I was convinced that it would have been at least partially funded by Amazon, whose warehouse has popped up almost adjacent to the M49.

Do the plans include a proper link from the A403 to the junction? Is it following that very straight road through the industrial estate?

The same doc I quoted does say that thr A403 will be re-routed via the spine road through the industrial estate as it is a much shorter route.

Do you mean along the red route on my map? You would have thought a new route along the green dots would make more sense.

Are they definitely keeping the A403 number south of the new M49 junction? To encourage people onto M49 to get to Avonmouth, A4 and M5, they could downgrade it to a B road.

[KeithW]

Do you mean along the red route on my map? You would have thought a new route along the green dots would make more sense.

Are they definitely keeping the A403 number south of the new M49 junction? To encourage people onto M49 to get to Avonmouth, A4 and M5, they could downgrade it to a B road.

I was referring to the map in this post
posting.php?mode=quote&f=1&t=39761&p=1025459#pr1024873

I would expect traffic heading for Avonmouth to/from the M5 to continue to use J18, the new Junction will enable traffic from Avonmouth and the Distribution Centres to head for the M4 along the M49. On that basis I would expect the A403 to start and end where it does now

Your green dotted route cuts diagonally across valuable development land. Instead the intention seems to be to extend the Spine Road south west to meet the Severn Road

Schemes published so far

https://highwaysengland.co.uk/projects/ ... -junction/
http://sites.southglos.gov.uk/insouthgl ... 17-pdf.pdf

Page 6-36
http://www.westofengland.org/media/1900 ... p%206b.pdf

[gepree68]

Page 6-36
http://www.westofengland.org/media/1900 ... p%206b.pdf

I really like this map (from page 6.108, Figure 6.24 – Alignment of M49 Intermediate Junction).

It has a new A403 going southbound, parallel to M49, until it gets to Moorend Farm Avenue, then up Poplar Way West, then onto the existing A403.

Is this route still in the plans, or was this a route that was planned but has now been ignored?

[KeithW]

Page 6-36
http://www.westofengland.org/media/1900 ... p%206b.pdf

2018-12-17 A403 Plan.png

I really like this map (from page 6.108, Figure 6.24 – Alignment of M49 Intermediate Junction).

It has a new A403 going southbound, parallel to M49, until it gets to Moorend Farm Avenue, then up Poplar Way West, then onto the existing A403.

Is this route still in the plans, or was this a route that was planned but has now been ignored?

This is all down to the local authority - you would have to ask them but since I have seen no updates I have no reason to believe things have changed.