M5 motorway to close for major bridge demolition near Gloucester

The M5 motorway will undergo a full closure between Junction 11 (Cheltenham) and Junction 12 (Gloucester) from 11pm on Friday, October 16, until 6am on Monday, October 19. The closure is necessary for National Highways to demolish and rebuild the Grove Court and Uphill Court bridges, which have served as pedestrian footpaths for 64 years but have deteriorated beyond repair.

To facilitate the demolition, high-reach excavators will remove 440 tonnes of concrete and 14 tonnes of steel tendons from the carriageway. Additionally, the Junction 11A northbound exit slip road will be closed for one week starting Sunday, October 11, and will remain closed for a week following the demolition to accommodate a construction compound.

National Highways has planned diversion routes via the A38 through Gloucester, the A40, and the A417. The start of the weekend closure was scheduled for 11pm to minimize disruption to a Gloucester Rugby match taking place earlier that evening.