Debate continues over M49 'ghost' junction in South Gloucestershire

Opposition Conservatives have accused South Gloucestershire Council’s Lib Dem-Labour administration of ‘failing to provide leadership’ over the M49 ghost junction debacle.

Last week National Highways, which finished most of the construction work seven years ago at a cost of £50million, revealed ‘defects’ had been discovered at the two-bridge roundabout near Bristol linking Severnside and Avonmouth, along with a huge retail distribution park, home to Amazon and Tesco among others, causing even more delays.

The organisation said it was assessing options for repairs so it could eventually be connected to local roads.

The completion of the junction has been delayed for years because of a hotchpotch of ownership of adjacent land, verges, wasteland, drains and access rights, with some plots as tiny as two square metres.

That obstacle appeared to have been overcome in February 2023 when the council announced plans for compulsory purchases so the 160-metre link road could be built.

But it took another two-and-a-half years for work on the ground to begin.

The council said last week that it remained on track to deliver the link road by the end of 2026 but that it was up to National Highways when it would be connected to the motorway junction.

Now the Conservative group has criticised both the government organisation in charge of the nation’s major road network and the local authority’s coalition running the council.

Labour hit back, saying residents would recognise that the key decisions in the saga were taken years ago by the then-Tory administration, including going ahead with the junction before the link road.

The Conservatives said there had been a ‘complete failure of delivery and leadership’.

Group leader Cllr Liz Brennan (Frenchay & Downend) said: “This latest delay is completely unacceptable.

“Taxpayers have paid £50million for a junction that has been sitting unused for years, and now we learn that it is not even fit to open.”

She said the council’s ruling parties had ‘failed to provide leadership or accountability during the ongoing delays’.

Cllr Matthew Riddle (Conservative, Severn Vale) said: “Residents and businesses were promised that this junction and the link road would ease congestion and support jobs.

“Instead, they have been left dealing with gridlock, heavy lorry traffic through villages, and yet more uncertainty.

“The administration has failed to stand up for local people and demand answers.

“This situation has been allowed to drift for far too long.”

The Tories are demanding a full and transparent explanation from National Highways about what the defects are, how they occurred, and a clear timetable for repairs and the opening of the junction.

But National Highways is not expected to provide any further update until this autumn while it decides what to do.

South Gloucestershire Council co-leader and Labour group leader Cllr Ian Boulton (Staple Hill & Mangotsfield) said: “We believe people will recognise that the key decisions here – including building the junction, and doing so without a link road – were taken well before our administration.

“That’s a significant part of how this situation has arisen.

“Since forming the administration, our focus has been on getting this resolved and working with National Highways to open the junction and make sure it finally delivers for local communities.

“We would hope there’s recognition across the board of how we’ve inherited this position.”

The Lib Dems said they were ‘flabbergasted’ that they were only told at the last minute by National Highways that the junction could not yet open and that it had given no timescale when it would.

Cllr Simon Johnson (Lib Dem, Pilning & Severn Beach) said: “This is a staggering failure from National Highways and I simply can’t believe it.

“We’ve battled locally to secure the funding for the link road, and we’ve worked with over 100 landowners to secure the land to complete the link road that local people have been seeking for years.

“We are finally ready to join the link road to the M49 ghost junction, only to be told now that the junction isn’t fit for purpose and not safe to open.

“Locally, hundreds of thousands of pounds are currently being spent on resurfacing local village roads for residents, aiming to take lorries off the local roads once and for all.

“We now find ourselves with a link road and no junction to connect it to.

“Honestly I’m staggered.”

In a statement last week, National Highways said: “Discussions with our contractor are ongoing.

“We expect this will impact the opening of the South Gloucestershire Council link road, which is in construction.

“We remain committed to opening the junction as this will benefit the regional economy and communities.

“For safety reasons these defects must be addressed before we can connect it to local authority roads.

“We realise how frustrating this news will be to communities and businesses and we are working with the council and other partners on next steps.”

The Lib Dems and Labour formed a partnership to run the council after the Conservatives were voted out at the 2023 local elections.