Almondsbury Interchange

The Almondsbury Interchange in South Gloucestershire, is one of the United Kingdom's largest motorway stack interchanges. The interchange is one of only three four-level stacks in the UK, spanning a range of 0.5 km by 0.5 km. It is the interchange for the M5 at junction 15 and M4 at junction 20, and is situated at the northern fringes of Bristol close to the village of Almondsbury, the Aztec West industrial estate, and Bradley Stoke.

Almondsbury Interchange was the first four-level interchange in the United Kingdom. [cite web | url= http://www.iht.org/motorway/stats.htm#first | work= The Motorway Archive | title= Oldest, widest, longest, highest | accessdate= 2007-10-04] It was designed by Freeman Fox and Robert Earley. [cite book | last = Baldwin | first = Peter | coauthors = Robert Baldwin | title = The Motorway Achievement | publisher = Thomas Telford | date = 2003 | pages = 406 | isbn = 0727731963 ] The interchange was built by Richard Costain Ltd, with work commencing in May 1964. The bridge was opened by the Queen on 8 September 1966. [cite web | url= http://www.iht.org/motorway/m4lswscheme.htm#s2 | work= The Motorway Archive | title= M4, Aust (J21) to Wickham (J14). | accessdate= 2007-10-04]

The interchange is often a traffic hot-spot, especially in the morning and evening rush hours. [cite web | url= http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/5619.aspx | work= The Highways Agency | title= Almondsbury Interchange Safety Fence Upgrade | accessdate= 2008-08-05] It is overlooked by the RAC Tower. Traffic travelling northbound on the M5 intending to use the Second Severn Crossing (or those on the crossing wishing to use the M5 southbound from Avonmouth onwards) can bypass the interchange by using the M49 motorway.

See also

* M5 motorway
* M4 motorway

References