THE weight restriction stopping lorries using the Severn Bridge looks set to be lifted next year.

National Highways says it would see HGVs leave the M48 at Junctions One(westbound) and Junction Two (eastbound) via the off-slip roads with re-entry controlled by signals on the on-slips.

This will mean the bridge is reopened to vehicles over 7.5tonnes 24-hours a day and will operate in “free-flow” for the vast majority of the time.

National Highways says it is exploring longer term solutions.

The latest traffic modelling also shows that there will be no longer be a requirement to restrict HGVs travelling eastbound during the morning peak, which will have large benefits for the people and businesses in the Chepstow area and beyond.

To make sure the new system is robust and works as intended, National Highways needs to carry out additional tests and checks, delaying the planned implementation.

Alan Feist, Programme Manager for National Highways said: “The solution we have identified to enable us to lift the weight restriction on the bridge is innovative and requires extensive testing and quality checks so that we can be confident the system operates safely and properly.”

The bridge was not designed and built for today’s levels or weight of traffic. Vehicles have got heavier and traffic levels have increased significantly over the last 60 years putting greater load on the cables.

Routine survey work and testing found that the main cables on the bridge have deteriorated and weakened. To keep the bridge open to the majority of traffic we needed to reduce the load on these cables, which has meant removing the heaviest vehicles for the time being.

A new 7.5t weight limit was installed on the M48 Severn Bridge from May 27 2025 for an estimated 12 to 18 months dependent on further investigations.