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A48(M) motorway
Encyclopedia
The A48 is a motorway in Wales
between Cardiff
and Newport
. It is a spur off the M4
into eastern Cardiff. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) long and is a 2-lane motorway throughout its length. At St Mellons
it runs continuously into a further 6 miles (9.7 km) of the dual-carriageway A48
, which also features (albeit narrow) hard shoulders.
It opened in 1977, originally as an ending for the M4. The M4 was subsequently extended from junction 29 in 1980 and this section of road was renumbered A48(M). It has been suggested that its continuation westwards was projected to be from St Mellons.
The A48(M) has the unusual feature of having no junction options: at both ends it simply leads into limited-access junctions. It is also the only motorway to be entirely in Wales, as the other motorways, M4
and M48
, cross into England.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
between Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
. It is a spur off the M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
into eastern Cardiff. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) long and is a 2-lane motorway throughout its length. At St Mellons
St Mellons
St Mellons is a district and suburb of eastern Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.-History:St Mellons began as a small commercial centre in the historic county of Monmouthshire, relying heavily on rural agriculture, farming and travel...
it runs continuously into a further 6 miles (9.7 km) of the dual-carriageway A48
A48 road
The A48 is a major trunk road in Great Britain. It runs from the A40 at Highnam west of Gloucester to the A40 at Carmarthen. Before the construction of the M4 motorway and the first Severn Bridge in the mid 1960s it was the principal route into South Wales. For most of its journey through Wales,...
, which also features (albeit narrow) hard shoulders.
It opened in 1977, originally as an ending for the M4. The M4 was subsequently extended from junction 29 in 1980 and this section of road was renumbered A48(M). It has been suggested that its continuation westwards was projected to be from St Mellons.
The A48(M) has the unusual feature of having no junction options: at both ends it simply leads into limited-access junctions. It is also the only motorway to be entirely in Wales, as the other motorways, M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
and M48
M48 motorway
The M48 is a motorway in Great Britain joining Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire over the original Severn Bridge. The M48 is anomalously numbered, as it is entirely to the west of the M5 motorway and its number should really therefore begin with 5.-Route:...
, cross into England.
Junctions
| A48(M) Motorway | ||
| Eastbound exits | Junction | Westbound exits |
| M4 London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... , Bristol Bristol Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007... |
J29 M4 (Castleton) | Start of Motorway |
| Start of Motorway A48 Newport Newport Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent... |
J29A (St Mellons) | A48 Cardiff |
Other A48(M)s
- Another motorway, the 6 miles (9.7 km) Port TalbotPort TalbotPort Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
bypass which opened in 1966, was numbered A48(M) before its incorporation into the westward extension of the M4 in the 1970s. - Some maps show the MorristonMorristonMorriston is a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales and falls within the Morriston ward. Morriston is sometimes referred to as a distinct town , however Morriston never had a town charter, and is now part of the continuous urban area around Swansea, the centre of which lies three...
bypass section of the M4 as also having been originally numbered A48(M), although whether this number was ever used on the ground has been questioned.