The M5 motorway reopened in Somerset on Friday after an electrical fault near the road prompted an emergency closure and urgent repairs. Traffic had been stopped in both directions between Junction 22 at Burnham-on-Sea and Junction 23 at Bridgwater while work was carried out safely.
National Grid dealt with the problem on an overhead line near the motorway. The company’s spokesperson thanked motorists for their patience and said sorry for the delays to journeys on Friday while essential work was undertaken.
Junction 22 and Junction 23
Engineers carried out an urgent inspection before the road was closed, then completed repairs and reopened the route on Friday. The A38 was used as the main diversion route while the motorway remained shut, giving drivers a signed alternative between the affected junctions.
That shutdown came after a previous closure in June in the same area, when the M5 was also taken out of service because of the risk of overhead electricity cables falling onto the road. The latest fault was in a different location, even though it affected the same stretch of motorway.
Friday and the A38
For motorists using this section of Somerset’s main route, the practical change is immediate: the motorway is back open, and the diversion traffic has been lifted from the A38. The remaining issue is the one National Grid did not answer in the announcement — what caused the electrical fault near the motorway.
