M32 Eastville Viaduct 40mph and 60mph Statutory Instrument Consultation

Overview

This consultation provides the opportunity for you to share your feedback on the proposal to:

• Introduce a 40mph permanent speed limit in both directions on the M32 motorway and slip roads from a point on the mainline 83 metres north of the northern mechanical join of the Eastville Viaduct to a point on the mainline 22 metres north of the Severn Beach railway line overbridge; and
• Introduce a 60mph permanent speed limit on the M32 motorway in the southbound direction from a point on the mainline 30 metres south of the centre of Heath House Lane overbridge where the speed limit reduces from the national motorway speed limit of 70mph to 60mph, ahead of the 40mph speed limit at the point on the mainline (83 metres north of the northern mechanical join of the Eastville Viaduct).

This proposal is for permanent 40mph and 60mph speed limits to be implemented to replace the temporary 40mph and 60mph speed limits that are currently in place on the M32 motorway and the slip roads between the two points, in the vicinity of Eastville Viaduct.

Map of the affected stretch of the M32

From 2 December 2024 to 26 January 2025, we consulted on the proposal to make permanent the existing temporary 40mph speed limit on the M32 motorway in the vicinity of Eastville Viaduct by way of a statutory instrument. Details can be found here and outcomes from this previous consultation can be viewed by following this link.

If you responded to the previous 40mph Statutory Instrument consultation held from 2 December 2024 – 26 January 2025 and would like your comments to be included in this new consultation, please ensure you complete the response form to ensure your views are recorded. 

The permanent 40mph speed limit is required due to the geometry of this section of the motorway. The road was originally built in the 1970s and adhered to design standards of the time. If it was built today the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) would recommend a speed limit of 40mph due to the short distance between Junctions 2 and 3, which results in a high level of weaving traffic (i.e. manoeuvring between traffic lanes). The elevated section of the motorway around Junction 2 also has limited forward visibility, narrow lanes and narrow hard shoulders, which don’t meet the design standards of today’s motorways. The proposed speed limit changes are required on safety grounds and to help ensure a smooth-running network.

Since the above consultation, a safety risk assessment has been produced in accordance with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges' (GG 104) Requirements for Safety Risk Assessment, which determined that there is an operational safety benefit for road users in also making permanent the current temporary 60mph speed limit on the M32 motorway southbound approach to Eastville Viaduct.

The southbound approach consists of a step-down speed reduction from a point 30 metres south of the centre of Heath House Lane overbridge where the speed limit reduces from the national motorway speed limit of 70mph to 60mph, ahead of the 40mph speed limit at a point 83 metres north of the northern mechanical join of the Viaduct. It is required to make permanent the temporary 60mph speed limit to ensure the safety benefit is realised for our road users and workers.

This further consultation will cover both the original 40mph and the additional 60mph speed limit on the M32 in the vicinity of Eastville Viaduct and provides an opportunity for interested parties to comment on our proposal. Information will be available on National Highways’ Citizen Space website and emailed out to stakeholders. The proposed 40mph and 60mph permanent speed limits will be implemented by National Highways making a Statutory Instrument.

The consultation will run for seven weeks from Monday 19 May 2025 to Sunday 6 July 2025. It’s important that you respond by 23:59 on Sunday 6 July 2025 as responses received after the consultation closes may not be considered.

If you are responding on behalf of an organisation, it would be helpful if you could make this clear. Please also indicate the nature of the organisation, how many individuals’ views are included in the response and ways in which these views were gathered.