Overview
- National Highways identified an immediate safety risk to lighting columns on the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge and kept two of three lanes closed both ways during the day.
- Officials plan a full closure from 8pm to 6am to remove 35 faulty lamp columns judged at risk of collapse, with work dependent on wind easing.
- The M48 Severn Bridge closed and reopened at times as gusts hit closure thresholds, with HGVs to be escorted across in groups of 10 during the overnight works.
- Drivers faced delays of roughly 70 to 112 minutes and heavy congestion stretching across approaches near Newport eastbound and toward the Almondsbury Interchange westbound.
- National Highways advised using longer alternatives such as the M5 and M50, and warned that if overnight work cannot be completed, daytime lane restrictions and further night closures will follow.