Second Severn Crossing

Second Severn Crossing
Ail Groesfan Hafren

Location Map ( geo)

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From:

Redwick

To:

Caldicot

County

Gloucestershire • Monmouthshire

Highway Authority

Highways England

Opening Date

1996

Toll

Abolished: Removed on 17.12.18

Additional Information

Bridge Type:

Cable Stayed

On road(s)

M4

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 Highways England.

History

The original Severn Bridge opened in 1966. 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.

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 Toll charges were withdrawn on the Second Severn crossing with effect from 17 December 2018.