Severn Bridge resurfacing complete

Contractor Hanson has completed the latest phase of its resurfacing work on the Severn bridges following the removal of the toll booths and barriers. The contract for Highways England started in December 2018, when the tolls were abolished on the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge and M48 Severn Bridge, and resurfacing was needed for the new road layout. The move to provide free access for drivers from England into Wales is aimed at boosting the Welsh economy. Over the last few weeks Hanson has laid more than
April 30, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Resurfacing work is complete for the Severn bridges
Contractor 2644 Hanson has completed the latest phase of its resurfacing work on the Severn bridges following the removal of the toll booths and barriers.


The contract for 8100 Highways England started in December 2018, when the tolls were abolished on the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge and M48 Severn Bridge, and resurfacing was needed for the new road layout. The move to provide free access for drivers from England into Wales is aimed at boosting the Welsh economy.

Over the last few weeks Hanson has laid more than 10,000tonnes of base, binder and surface course material to complete the remodelling of the westbound side of the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge. The contracting team laid the final 2,200tonnes overnight in just 12 hours – more than double the amount usually handled on a regular motorway nightshift.

As well as resurfacing the toll booth area, the work has included 950m of the westbound carriageway and a new emergency access road.

Next month (May), the Hanson team will start a similar job on the M48 Severn Bridge; resurfacing the toll booth plaza as well as 1.5km of carriageway on both sides of the bridge.

Hannah Milliner, Severn Bridges General Manager at Highways England said: “This is a significant project for the region and Hanson has worked collaboratively with Highways England and its contractors to ensure that we deliver these works both safely and to schedule. Hanson has played an important part in making toll removal a success. We are currently reaching the final stages of the scheme and drivers will soon be able to benefit from free-flowing motorways.”

Asphalt milling, paving & compaction

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Italian highway link completed
    January 24, 2017
    A challenging road construction project is being carried out in Italy within a tight timeframe, with assistance from a new Marini asphalt plant. The project is for the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway and the work has to be completed before the end of 2016. Local contractor Bulfaro is carryiing out the work to complete surfacing work to the Macrolotto 3.2; a 40km section of the highway between Laino Borgo and Campotenese. This section of the route is at an altitude of over 800m but the work was complicated b
    Read More
  • From managed asset to service provider: the future highway
    May 20, 2019
    Every day we hear about Mobility as a Service (MaaS), but what about Roads as a Service? Geoff Hadwick reports from the ERF in Brussels The familiar physical asset called the road will increasingly be seen as part of an emerging global services sector. Given that, the role of the road is changing, notes Christophe Nicodème, general director of the European Union Road Federation (ERF). We need to think much more carefully about planning highway infrastructure in terms of people’s needs, said Nicodème,
    Read More
  • Asphalt paving innovation from Aggregate Industries
    October 20, 2017
    The firm developed this new surface course in a bid to match increasing traffic volumes on the UK’s road network. According to Aggregate Industries, this material can speed up road surfacing by more than 40%. There is a major need to repave many UK roads, with the country’s vehicle population having increased by 10 million in the last 10 years. This has triggered an increased need for infrastructure maintenance. But the time needed to carry out road repairs can cause major problems for motorists.
    Read More
  • England’s new Sunderland Bridge renamed Northern Spire
    December 12, 2017
    The new Sunderland Bridge - on track to open in the spring - was officially named Northern Spire during a recent event on the bridge. The official naming followed a week-long public vote in which 10,000 people chose their favourite name from an official list of three names. Northern Spire received almost half of the votes, according to bridge officials. The other names were Lumen Point (34% of votes) and The Prism which received 17%. The two-span cable-stayed bridge across the River Wear in northeast
    Read More

Highlighted Content