Welsh Conservatives have accused Labour’s policy on road investment of being inconsistent and political cherry picking as the £1.4 billon dualling of the A465 between Dowlais and Hirwaun will continue despite two smaller schemes being rejected. The Road Review Panel's report concluded that, under the low traffic growth estimates, the A55 junction 14 and 15 improvements and the junction 16 and … [Read more...]
Welsh Government ignores roads poll result it commissioned
Welsh Government is ignoring the results of its own poll on 20mph residential speed limits and introducting "trials" in selected areas. Over half of those who contributed to the survey were opposed to lowering the 30mph limit and a majority were strongly against it, but now Welsh Government has decided to press ahead with trials which will almost certainly become fixed. The trails come after … [Read more...]
Multi-million-pound new Welsh road as slow as ever
Drivers will face a continuing 50mph speed limit on Wales most expensive key road despite £336M upgrade and three-years late construction. The five-mile A465 Heads of the Valleys road through the Clydach Gorge is part of a £800M widening of the dual carriageway between Monmouth and Neath Port Talbot. Controversially, the M4 around Port Talbot was given a 50mph limit where bends were … [Read more...]
Wales’s new road schemes closed in rethink
Planned new roads in Wales will be frozen while the Welsh government reviews schemes. Projects that already have diggers in the ground, such as the Heads of the Valleys Road, will continue althought they are seriously behind schedule and costing millions more than expected Ministers want to shift money from new roads to maintaining existing routes and investing in public … [Read more...]
A465 delays explained as costs jump £100M
Construction work on dualling of the A465 above Gilwern is 85% complete but Costain has run into unexpected problems and it will not be finished until April 2021 at the earliest, Wales economy and transport minister Ken Skates has reported. Now plans to improve the section from Hirwaun to Dowlais are being developed but under a fixed price contract and with minimum disruption to traffic using the … [Read more...]
Transport Fails Wales, say opposition
The Welsh Labour run Government has come under attack over its transport policies and decisions which it is described as ‘bogged down, stuck, and going nowhere”. Transport Fails Wales, says Wales infrastructure committee chairman. Russell George AM chaired a meeting of the National Assembly’s Economy, Infrastructure, and Skills Committee, which focused on rail services. The meeting follows … [Read more...]
Welsh Government says further delay to major road
Conservative AMs have criticised Welsh Government over another A465 completion date delay. A critical section of the Heads of the Valleys Road will be delayed until n late 2020. Commenting on the announcement that the completion date for widening part of the Heads of the Valleys Road A465 has been pushed back for the second time this year, Russell George AM said, “Another delay means more … [Read more...]
Newslines 22 January
Flintshire council is among the quickest response times in Britain for filling serious potholes, new research has revealed. Figures released by motoring charity the RAC Foundation show the authority aims to make road repairs "immediately" but the longest response time in Wales was in Vale of Glamorgan, which promises to investigate the following working day. World War One hero soldier who … [Read more...]
Road kill figures released for Wales
Welsh Department for Economy and Transport said 444 animals were found dead on Wales’ roads in 2016 and 2017. But further research by Confused.com suggests these figures could be even higher, as 40% of Welsh motorists admit they have hit an animal while driving. Some animals are more likely to fall victim to roads than others. In fact, badgers were the most killed animal over the last two … [Read more...]
Welsh infrastructure must be top priority for 2018
Congestion is costing Welsh drivers £1.5 billion a year, and the Welsh Conservatives are calling on the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay to make infrastructure a top priority for 2018. INRIX Inc – a leading international provider of real-time traffic information – has calculated the economic cost per driver due to congestion, with the average driver in Cardiff around £939 a year out of pocket. … [Read more...]