The planned closure of a section of the M4 is being changed due to "unavoidable circumstances", National Highways has warned.
In September, the public body announced part of the motorway would be temporarily shut to allow major works to be carried out to build the new A432 Badminton Road Bridge.
Highways England has now said due to a delay in the production of beams for the bridge, it needs to change the date of the road closure.
The M4 will now be shut in both directions between junctions 18 (Bath) and 19 (M32) from 7pm on Friday October 24 to 6am on Monday, October 27. This will allow for steel beams for the new bridge to be lifted into place.
Sean Walsh, route manager for National Highways, said: “Due to unavoidable circumstances, we are having to move the weekend closure to the 24 October.
“This change in date is due to a delay in the production of the bridge beams, and it’s essential that we have everything in place prior to the closure to allow it to run smoothly.
“Whilst the delay is regrettable, we are working at pace to reopen the A432 as soon as possible, and we don’t anticipate this will have a delay on the overall programme of works.”
Once the beams have been lifted into place, National Highways has said the remainder of the new bridge will be constructed with "minimal disruption" to the motorway below, and will be open to the public in early 2026.
The new bridge – 46.5m in length and 20m wide – will span eight lanes of motorway but will be slightly wider.
With 3,000 to 4,000 vehicles using this section of the M4 every hour over peak weekend periods, the closure is likely to cause substantial disruption, National Highways added.
Drivers are being advised, where possible, to avoid the area and plan journeys for alternative times.
"National Highways thanks people for their patience while carrying out this significant construction work that will bring smoother, more reliable and safer journeys for road users."
The planned diversion route for the closure will remain the same as previously announced.
