Avonmouth Bridge

Infobox Bridge

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bridge_name=Avonmouth Bridge
official_name=
locale=Shirehampton, England
carries=8 lanes of the M5 motorway
Bridleway
crosses=River Avon, Bristol
open=May 1974
below=convert|100|ft|m|0|abbr=on
design=Cantilever
mainspan=convert|538|ft|m|0|abbr=on
length=convert|4554|ft|m|0|abbr=on
width=convert|132.5|ft|m|0|abbr=on
coordinates=coord|51.4887|N|2.6928|W|region:GB_type:landmark|display=inlineBristol mapbox
latitude=51.4887
longitude=-2.6928
caption=Shown within Bristol and the UKThe Avonmouth Bridge is a road bridge that carries the M5 motorway over the River Avon near Bristol, England. The main span is convert|538|ft|m|0|abbr=on long, and the bridge is convert|4554|ft|m|0|abbr=on long. It also contains a separate bridleway for foot passengers, bicycles and mopeds.The bridge was built with 3 lanes each way, with full hard shoulders. During 2002–2004, it was widened to 4 lanes each way, resulting in the hard shoulders no longer being of full width. The bridge was built to allow tall ships to go underneath. This gave the bridge steep slopes that cause lorries and other heavy vehicles to slow down, resulting in severe bottlenecks in rush hour and the summer tourist season: traffic can stack up both on the bridge and on the approaches.

urface

The approach and initial climb up the bridge have a very smooth asphalt surface, however on the top of the bridge the surface is very uneven and bumpy. On September 28 2006, it was announced that the entire bridge would be resurfaced, only five years after that had last been completed.

External links

*
* [http://www.iht.org/motorway/m5twedscheme.htm#s8 The Motorway Archive - M5 Junction 18 to 19]