South West Overnight Motorway Closures Confirmed: M5 & M48 Bristol 2026

Key Points

• Seven Regional Closures Scheduled: National Highways has formally published its schedule of seven major overnight road closures across South West England for Thursday night, August 6, 2026.
• Primary Routes Impacted: The closures affect key arterial corridors including the M5 motorway, the M48 Severn Bridge, and major regional A-roads.
• Severn Bridge Cross-Border Restriction: The M48 westbound carriageway between Junction 1 and Junction 2 across the Severn Bridge will close overnight, severing direct local access between Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire, Wales.
• Multiple M5 Stretches Affected: Four separate major works and carriageway closures are planned on the M5, notably impacting northbound transit near Bristol, Gloucestershire, and Somerset.
• Standard Operating Hours: The majority of work will commence at 8:00 PM on Thursday and remain enforced until 5:00 AM or 6:00 AM on Friday morning.
• Official Diversions Active: Well-signed diversionary routes, including rerouting cross-border traffic via the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge, will be operational throughout the disruption.

Bristol (Bristol Express News) August 6, 2026 – Transport officials from National Highways have confirmed that a section of Bristol’s motorway network is among seven major overnight closures scheduled across South West England on Thursday evening. The planned infrastructure maintenance, which spans three key motorways and vital regional A-roads, will see significant stretches closed to vehicular traffic to facilitate critical structural repairs, resurfacing trials, and routine safety inspections. Most of the restrictions are set to take effect from 8:00 PM on August 6 and will remain active until the early hours of Friday, August 7.

As reported by Senior Transport Reporter Alex Seabrook of Bristol Live, National Highways published its comprehensive list of planned closures to give motorists advance notice before undertaking overnight journeys. The closures cover essential corridors used daily by freight operators, local commuters, and long-distance travelers connecting England and South Wales.

Which Major South West Routes Are Set to Close On Thursday Night?

What Are the Specific Closures Enforced on the M48 Severn Bridge?

According to technical logs issued by National Highways engineers, the M48 westbound carriageway between Junction 1 (Aust) and Junction 2 (Chepstow) will undergo a complete overnight closure starting at 8:00 PM on Thursday, August 6, and ending at 6:00 AM on Friday, August 7. The closure across the original Severn Bridge is necessary to enable structural maintenance and preliminary preparation for a specialist 200-metre resurfacing trial.

Drivers traveling westbound from England into South Wales via the M48 will be redirected. As stated by National Highways operational directors, a fully signed diversion route will direct all motorists to re-route via the adjacent M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.

How Will the M5 Motorway Be Affected Across Bristol, Gloucestershire, and Somerset?

The M5, which serves as the primary north-south transit spine for the South West region, is scheduled for four separate traffic interventions on Thursday night.

1. M5 Northbound Junction 16 to Junction 14: A full carriageway closure on the northbound side between Junction 16 (Almondsbury Interchange/Aztec West) and Junction 14 (Falfield) will be enforced from 9:00 PM on Thursday until 5:00 AM on Friday.
2. M5 Northbound Junction 24 to Junction 23: In Somerset, the northbound carriageway between Junction 24 (Bridgwater South) and Junction 23 (Bridgwater North) will be closed overnight from 9:00 PM until 5:00 AM for surface renewal works.
3. M5 Northbound Junction 13 to Junction 12: Lane closures will be in place between Junction 13 (Stroud) and Junction 12 (Quedgeley) in Gloucestershire from 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM.
4. M5 Northbound Junction 17 to Junction 16: Hard shoulder running and temporary lane restrictions near Junction 17 (Cribbs Causeway) will operate overnight between 8:30 PM and 5:00 AM.

As reported by Transport Correspondent Joseph Wilkes of Gloucestershire Live, National Highways confirmed that local diversion routes using local trunk roads and adjacent A-road networks will be monitored by traffic officers throughout the maintenance window.

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What Is the Full Official List of South West Road Closures for Thursday Evening?

To assist road users in planning nighttime travel, National Highways has detailed the complete breakdown of scheduled closures across the region for Thursday, August 6:

What Is the Background to National Highways’ Regional Maintenance Strategy?

National Highways operates under a multi-billion-pound Road Investment Strategy designed to preserve, modernise, and improve safety across England’s Strategic Road Network (SRN). The South West region presents unique engineering challenges, featuring decades-old suspension bridges and heavily trafficked motorway corridors that carry millions of holidaymakers, freight vehicles, and local commuters every year.

The maintenance scheduled on the M48 Severn Bridge forms part of a broader asset preservation campaign. Originally opened in 1966, the structure requires specialised thin-layer asphalt resurfacing. Because the original design relies on a precise 35mm road surface thickness to prevent excessive structural weight on the deck cables, modern machine-laid asphalt trials must be conducted in controlled overnight conditions prior to larger multi-week resurfacing projects planned for future seasons.

Similarly, the M5 motorway section through Bristol, Gloucestershire, and Somerset handles heavy traffic loads that accelerate wear on road surfaces, safety barriers, and drainage systems. Scheduled overnight closures allow engineering crews to execute heavy resurfacing, gantry repairs, and safety barrier upgrades during off-peak hours, minimizing friction with peak daytime traffic volumes.

How Will These Overnight Motorway Closures Affect South West Commuters, Freight Operators, and Airport Travelers?

The scheduled overnight closures on Thursday evening are expected to directly affect several distinct groups of road users across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Somerset, and South Wales:

• Late-Night Commuters and Shift Workers: Employees traveling home late from commercial hubs such as Aztec West, Cribbs Causeway, or Royal Portbury Dock will face extended journeys. Drivers on the M5 northbound between Junction 16 and 14 will be diverted onto the A38, which features lower speed limits and multiple traffic signals, adding an estimated 15 to 25 minutes to journeys.
• Commercial Freight and Logistics Operators: As the M5 and M4/M48 corridors form crucial supply chain links between the Midlands, the South West, and South Wales, freight companies operating night shifts will experience longer route times and increased fuel consumption. Logistics planners are advised to re-route heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) via primary trunk routes rather than narrow rural detours.
• Bristol Airport Passengers: Travelers heading to or from Bristol Airport during the early hours of Friday morning may encounter delays on feeder routes connecting to the M5. Private hire transfer operators have advised passengers leaving for late-night or early-morning flights to allow extra buffer time to navigate diversionary routes.
• Cross-Border Welsh Traffic: Motorists traveling between Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire via the M48 will be rerouted across the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge. While this adds minimal distance for long-distance drivers, local traffic between Chepstow and Aust will experience localized detours.

National Highways advises all road users to check live traffic feeds, verify real-time conditions via official digital channels prior to setting off, and follow all designated diversion signage throughout Thursday night.