News / Transport
M32 bus lane to be extended
More delays are expected due to roadworks to extend the M32 bus lane into Bristol are set to start before the end of September.
The existing southbound bus lane will be extended from Junction 3 to the railway bridge that crosses the motorway.
The works are part of bus priority improvements that MetroBus hopes will make journeys between UWE, Bradley Stoke and the city centre up to 30-minutes quicker, leaving two lanes for general traffic in each direction.
is needed now More than ever
Contractors will at the same time install average speed cameras and remove and replace the faulty central reservation that has seen the speed limit on the motorway limited to 40mph since 2014.
————
Read more: 2016: the year of the MetroBus delays?
———–
The motorway will remain open whilst the road works take place, with some evening diversions in place. Work is expected to take seven months, finishing in Spring 2017.
South Gloucestershire Council’s planning, transport & strategic environment lead councillor Colin Hunt said: “We’ll be managing the road works to minimise disruption to the travelling public.
“Extending the M32 bus lane will speed up bus journeys for MetroBus passengers; it will also mean quicker journeys for passengers on other bus services that use the motorway. By improving the reliability of bus services we’ll encourage more people to leave their cars at home, reducing congestion for everyone.”
The M32 is a longstanding bone of contention for both authorities and travellers. During this year’s mayoral elections, candidate Charles Lucas pledged to take control of the M32 and open the hard shoulder to traffic at peak times.
Travellers are advised to check the Travelwest website for up-to-date information: travelwest.info/travelupdates
Read more: Metrobus may need public subsidies to run
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
