Last week’s news about the future of the M48 Severn Bridge came as a shock to many residents and will have significant implications for businesses, residents and tourists.

From Tuesday, May 27, the bridge will carry a weight limit of 7.5 tonnes and any larger vehicles will need to use the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge. Exceptions will be made for buses, gritters and emergency services vehicles.

This has come about because routine survey work identified accelerated corrosion in the suspension bridge’s main cable. The main cable is made up of 8,322 steel wires, all 5mm each in diameter. There are very small gaps between these wires, which can attract moisture and cause corrosion. Recently, they have been using dehumidifiers to remove the moisture and slow down the corrosion, but recent severe weather events have made the situation worse.

With my colleague Cllr Lisa Dymock, who represents Portskewett, I met with representatives from National Highways last week, who explained that restricting heavier vehicles on the M48 Severn Bridge will enable it to remain open to the majority of traffic.

The M48 Severn Bridge is nearly 60 years old and its location exposes it to extreme weather conditions all year round. The bridge was not designed and built for today’s levels or weight of traffic.

In the event of a planned closure of the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge, arrangements can be made to temporarily suspend the ban on HGVs for a limited time. In the event of an unplanned closure of the M4 bridge, HGVs will be diverted via the M50 and down the M5, a 95-mile detour.

The closure to HGVs is likely to remain in place for 12-18 months while a medium-term traffic management plan to accommodate controlled numbers of HGVs on the M48 Severn Bridge is prepared. All key partners need to work together to ensure we can get this medium-term measure implemented as soon as possible. Every day that HGVs can’t cross the bridge means extra expense for hauliers and there’s a risk this could cost jobs.

Both Severn Bridges are wholly owned and managed by the Department for Transport (DfT), part of the UK Government, which would be responsible for funding a longer-term repair to strengthen the bridge. This would likely involve adding additional steel cables. This would be expensive work, but we need the UK Government to commit to keeping the M48 bridge open and budgeting for this strengthening work.