Second Severn Crossing

The Prince of Wales Bridge (commonly known as the Second Severn Crossing Ail Groesfan Hafren) is a D3M cable stayed bridge carrying the M4 from England to Wales. It is operated by National Highways.

The name "Second Severn Crossing" has been said to be misleading, as it was not the second crossing of the Severn to be built, nor is it the second bridge looking north to south or vice versa. It was likely chosen because it was the second motorway crossing to be built over the Severn.

History

The original Severn Bridge opened in 1966 as part of the M4. However, by the mid 1980s, a combination of its having only two lanes each way and an increase in traffic, particularly HGVs, adding considerable strain and resulting in regular maintenance, meant that the bridge was becoming less and less useful. By 1985, it was not uncommon to have one lane of the bridge closed off at all times. Consequently, plans began to be drawn up in 1986 to built a replacement further downstream.

In 1992, approval was given to build the new crossing, running from near Severn Beach to Caldicot, which included a new link to Avonmouth. The bridge was opened on 5th June, 1996 by Prince Charles, and like the original Severn Bridge, was tolled. The M4 was diverted over the new bridge, while the old crossing was renumbered M48.

In 2012, tolls passed the £6 mark for the first time, Severn River Crossings having been given consent to continue collecting tolls until it had taken an extra £33m, bringing the total revenue up to £1.02bn. However, the bridge (along with the original Severn Bridge and associated crossings) passed into public ownership on 8 January 2018, with the tolls cut to £5.60 for cars, with the expectation that the tolls would be abolished by the end of 2018. Based on fuel consumption and wear and tear, there was a good argument that a journey from London to Cardiff, for example, would be cheaper avoiding the bridge entirely while tolls were still charged.

In 2018, the Second Severn Crossing was renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge. Toll charges were withdrawn on the Second Severn crossing with effect from 17 December 2018.

Links

Construction and history

• Official website
• Engineering Timelines
• Walesonline construction photos

Anniversary Articles

• BBC 20th Anniversary article (05.06.2016)

Later changes

• Second crossing renaming as Prince of Wales Bridge criticised (05.04.2018)
• BBC News: Severn bridges: M4 Severn crossing reopens toll free (17.12.2018)

legislation.gov.uk

• Severn Bridges Act 1992

• The M4 Motorway (Severn Bridge) (Speed Limit) Regulations 1995

• The Severn Bridges Tolls Order 2017

• The M4 and M48 Motorways (Severn Bridges Charging Scheme) (Amendment etc.) Order 2018