Avonmouth Bridge
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| Avonmouth Bridge | |
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| Carries | 8 lanes of the M5 motorway Bridleway |
| Crosses | River Avon, Bristol |
| Locale | Shirehampton, England |
| Design | Cantilever |
| Longest span | 538 ft (164 m) |
| Total length | 4,554 ft (1,388 m) |
| Width | 132.5 ft (40 m) |
| Clearance below | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Opening date | May 1974 |
| Coordinates | |
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| Shown within Bristol and the UK |
The Avonmouth Bridge is a road bridge that carries the M5 motorway over the River Avon near Bristol, England. The main span is 538 ft (164 m) long, and the bridge is 4,554 ft (1,388 m) 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.
[edit] Surface
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.
[edit] External links
- Avonmouth Bridge in the Structurae database
- The Motorway Archive - M5 Junction 18 to 19
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