Home / Environment / M4 Landslide: Embankment Repair Closes Lanes
M4 Landslide: Embankment Repair Closes Lanes
21 Oct
Summary
- Landslide damage necessitates M4 overnight closures.
- £20m investment to repair 600m embankment and hard shoulder.
- Bridge refurbishments planned starting autumn 2027.
The M4 motorway in Wiltshire is experiencing overnight closures and a 50mph speed limit to facilitate repairs to an embankment and hard shoulder damaged by a landslide.
National Highways is undertaking a significant engineering project to stabilize 600 metres of earth, making the eastbound hard shoulder to Swindon unusable. This £20m investment aims to ensure the future safety and reliability of this busy route.
Contractors will move approximately 25,000 tonnes of earth and backfill with 19,500 tonnes of stone. Following the embankment repairs, work will commence in autumn 2027 to restore four motorway bridges, impacting roads, a railway line, and a farm access road.
Overnight closures westbound are scheduled for 12 and 13 November for traffic management installation. HGVs will be diverted via Cirencester and Malmesbury. Two lanes will remain open in each direction under 50mph restrictions until 17 February, with minimal impact on journey times.
