The M5 southbound was closed for a time near Bridgwater, Somerset.
All three lanes southbound were closed for about an hour, but the northbound carriageway remained open throughout.
An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said the motorway was closed after a man fell from a bridge, just after 1600 GMT.
Callers to the BBC on Thursday afternoon reported traffic to be at a standstill between junctions 23 and 24, (Bridgwater north and south).
"The man's death is not being treated as suspicious," the spokesman added.
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