The A403 is a main road linking
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
with the
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...
. It runs from junction 1 of the
M48 at
Aust
Aust is a small village in South Gloucestershire, England, about north of Bristol and about south west of Gloucester. It is located on the eastern side of the Severn estuary, close to the eastern end of the Severn Bridge which carries the M48 ...
to the docks at
Avonmouth
Avonmouth is a port and outer suburb of Bristol, England, facing two rivers: the reinforced north bank of the final stage of the Avon which rises at sources in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset; and the eastern shore of the Severn Estuar ...
. After the
Severn Bridge
The Severn Bridge ( cy, Pont Hafren) is a motorway suspension bridge that spans the River Severn between South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in South East Wales. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and Wale ...
was opened in 1966, the A403 was constructed in 1969 and 1970 to provide a direct route between the
M4 motorway
The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely ...
and Avonmouth. It is an important route for the local industries, allowing easy access between
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and this part of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It was financed by
Gloucestershire County Council
Gloucestershire County Council is a county council which administers the most strategic local government services in the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire, in the South West of England.
The council's principal functions are county road ...
with a £387,000 grant from the
Ministry of Transport
A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government age ...
and was initially known as the Avonmouth Aust Coast Road.
Route
![A403](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/A403.jpg)
The road is running through
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming part ...
and the City of Bristol. Between the M4 at Aust and
Pilning
Pilning is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, close to Redwick and Severn Beach. Pilning is close to the M4, M49 and A403 roads, and has the South Wales Main Line railway running through it, with a minor station.
The civil parish ...
it replaced the B4055 on a realigned route. Between Pilning and
Chittening
Chittening is an industrial estate in Avonmouth, Bristol, England, bypassed by the A403 road, near the River Severn. It lies within the city boundary of Bristol, in Avonmouth ward, but used to be beyond it, in historic Gloucestershire, on former ...
it followed a new route beside the
ICI Severnside plant, and from Chittening to Avonmouth it followed the route of an existing unclassified road, St Andrews Road. At Avonmouth it connects with the
A4, leading to the
Portway. The road disrupted local communities, with Pilning being split in two sections. It runs near the proposed Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area, planned for expansion by Bristol City Council.
[ When completed, the road will have a junction with the M49 motorway (Junction 1) reducing the amount of heavy traffic passing through local communities.
]
Safety
Around 8,000 vehicles a day use this road. Although this is relatively low, a high proportion of traffic consists of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs); over five times the average. The A403 has had a poor safety record with numerous accidents. A particular problem has been HGVs parked at laybys along the road obscuring the view ahead, leading to several fatalities. South Gloucestershire Council reduced the speed limit on their section to 50 mph in 2007. Bristol City Council have announced plans to install better facilities for cyclists along the road.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:4-0403
Roads in England
Roads in Bristol
Transport in South Gloucestershire District
Roads in Gloucestershire