A key construction milestone was reached on the new A432 Badminton Road bridge, near Yate, which involved the installation of steel beams over the motorway.
The closure, between junctions 18 (Bath) and 19 (M32), took place from 7pm on Friday, October 24 until 3am on Monday, October 27.
Terry Robinson, engineering team manager at National Highways said: “I want to thank drivers for their patience over the weekend while we carried out the installation of beams for the new Badminton Road bridge in a safe and timely manner.
“We are pleased the job was finished ahead of schedule and hope it caused minimum disruption.
“We’ll continue to work at pace on the new bridge, and hope to have it open to the public in spring 2026.”
During the closure, crews installed eight steel beams, the final piece of major work requiring a full weekend closure.
The new bridge is expected to be open to the public in early 2026.
The bridge will span eight lanes of motorway and is being built to modern safety standards with wider lanes and pavements and higher barriers for pedestrians and cyclists.
The bridge, originally built in 1966 as a concrete post-tensioned structure, was closed to traffic in July 2023 after a planned investigation uncovered structural issues.
National Highways determined that demolition and replacement was the quickest and most cost-effective solution.
