The M5 is carried over the River Frome on a wide but low headroom bridge. The preferred route uses the river as the navigation and the additional headroom is gained by moving the weir at Fromebridge to a point just east of the M5.

In the event that the canal were to be re-routed as a spearate channel under the M5 river bridge, the silt would be cleared and the parallel canal channel would run at a lower level than the river except in times of flood.

The M5 river bridge looking from the west

The M5 from the east with footpath bridge to the left

Current silt level  under M5 looking from west

Silt under the M5 bridge from east side