Drivers face a fresh round of restrictions and overnight closures as work gets underway on the M48 Severn Bridge.
National Highways has announced a series of maintenance and upgrade works on the bridge, which connects England and Wales, as part of a medium-term plan to allow HGVs to return to the crossing.
Improvements include installing foundations and ducting for traffic lights, automatic number plate recognition cameras, and HGV weighing systems to help protect the structure.
General maintenance will also take place during the closure period.
From Wednesday, October 14 to Friday, October 16, lane one and the hard shoulder on the eastbound carriageway of the M48 will be closed from 9.30am to 6pm.
Westbound restrictions are in place this week from 5am to 3pm, also closing lane one and the hard shoulder.
Additional closures affect the junction one entry slip road, which is reduced to a single lane.
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Restrictions also apply to the A403 roundabout and the northbound A403 approaching the M48 junction.
The eastbound cycle track and footpath will remain closed until 6am on Saturday, October 17.
More daytime restrictions are scheduled from Monday, October 19 to Friday, October 23, including restrictions on the westbound junction one entry slip road and the A403/M48 roundabout.
Lane one and the hard shoulder eastbound will also close from 9.30am to 6pm during this period.
The most significant disruption will begin on the evening of Tuesday, October 20, when the eastbound carriageway will be fully closed between junction two and junction one from 8pm to 6am.
National Highways said: "The M48 Severn Bridge has a considerably narrower road surface than a typical motorway, leaving less room for teams to carry out maintenance safely.
"The planned works are separate from restrictions imposed because of high winds."
The M48 bridge is closed to traffic when gusts above 40 knots (around 46mph) are forecast.
At 70 knots (around 80mph), both Severn crossings are shut to all vehicles.
The M4 Prince of Wales Bridge is less affected by wind because of its barriers, which help reduce the impact of strong gusts.
Both the M48 Severn Bridge and the M4 crossing remained open on Tuesday night despite forecasts of increasingly breezy conditions.
National Highways confirmed that the closures currently planned are related to maintenance work and not adverse weather.
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