(Image: iStock.com / steved_np3 / Welsh Government)
Last Updated: 2 minutes ago
Development work on a third crossing over the Menai Strait is to begin again straight away, while road-based options for easing congestion on the M4 around Newport will be examined over the next 18 months.
Deputy Minister for Transport Mark Hooper set out the plans in the Senedd on Tuesday, with a mix of immediate action and longer-term projects affecting travellers in both north and south Wales.
Mr Hooper said: “People want action, not endless discussion. They want reliable journeys, less disruption and confidence that Government is getting on with improving things and making a difference to people’s lives. And that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
The M4 around Newport
A review of the route found congestion is still causing disruption and unreliable journeys on a stretch of motorway that thousands of people and businesses rely on every day. It concluded that no one measure will solve the problem on its own, but that improving the road infrastructure has to be part of the answer.
Because the options are complex, the Welsh Government will not commit to a single scheme yet. Instead, an 18-month study will look at a range of road-based solutions, with a preferred option selected at the end of it.
A five-year programme of shorter-term improvements will run alongside the study. On the roads themselves, that means renewing and maintaining the existing motorway and strategic road network, a delivery plan for how the motorway is operated and managed, and targeted work on roads and junctions around Newport. Freight resilience will also be improved by making better use of alternative routes such as the A465.
Public transport forms the other part of the plan. Transport for Wales will help speed up delivery of Cardiff Parkway and Magor and Undy stations, access to Severn Tunnel Junction railway station will be improved, and bus links between Newport and Cardiff will be strengthened.
Mr Hooper said: “We will carry out an 18-month study to consider a range of road-based solutions for the M4 around Newport. Alongside that work, we are taking action to reduce peak-hour traffic by up to around one in ten vehicles. Every vehicle taken off the road helps on a motorway that is already operating at or beyond capacity at the busiest times.”
The Menai crossings
For communities, businesses and travellers on Ynys Môn and across north Wales, the review found resilience is still the biggest challenge when the crossings are restricted or closed.
Work on a third crossing will restart immediately, covering design, environmental assessment, development of the business case and the statutory approvals needed.
Investment in managing, maintaining and running the two existing crossings will continue so they remain safe and reliable. Britannia Bridge will also get practical measures aimed at reducing disruption and keeping traffic moving, including wind deflectors, variable speed limits and other operational improvements.
One option has been ruled out. Running Britannia Bridge with three lanes in tidal flow was considered, but evidence pointed to significant safety and operational concerns, so it will not go ahead.
Mr Hooper said: “People on Ynys Môn and across the north of Wales have waited a long time for greater certainty about the future of the crossings. Today we are setting out a clear way forward, with action to improve the resilience of the existing crossings while immediately beginning work to develop a third crossing.”
Looking ahead
Summing up the package, he added: “Together these measures should make a noticeable difference to people as they go about their daily lives delivering better travel choices, improved resilience and quicker and more reliable journeys.”
