SAFETY upgrades on a notorious stretch of the M5 motorway near Thornbury, on which a tragic accident claimed the lives of four people earlier this month, have been confirmed for 2019.
The incident which took place on the M5 between Almondsbury and Thornbury on Saturday, September 16 saw a lorry lose control and crash through the central reservation onto the northbound carriageway, hitting a number of other vehicles before ending up down a steep bank.
Four people were killed in the incident, with a 42-year-old woman and two children, 10 and 12, rushed to hospital with severe injuries.
A further incident also occurred on the stretch less than a week later, with another lorry also losing control. This incident, however, avoided catastrophe with the central reservation holding.
Following the incidents, Rob Llewellyn, Highways England’s network operations manager for the South West, said that plans to upgrade the central barrier on the M5, similar to what was carried out on the M32 last year, are scheduled to start in 2019.
He said: “Highways England has a policy to replace metal central reservation barriers that are coming to the end of their working life with a concrete barrier, on motorways and very busy sections of dual carriageway. We continually monitor all areas of the network and safety records are routinely analysed to inform our ongoing programme of maintenance, renewal and improvement.
“We have carried out recent work at M5 junction 23 and junctions two to three of the M32, and further schemes, identified by priority, are scheduled to start next year, on two sections of the M5 between junctions 22 and 23 and junctions 24 and 25, and on the A303 near Wincanton.
“Schemes to upgrade the central barrier on the M5 between junctions 15 and 14, junctions 25 and 26 and junctions 23 and 24 are currently scheduled to start in 2019, along with a scheme on the M4 around junction 17.
“This programme is kept under review, however, and is constantly updated based on safety records and changing priorities on the network.
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