Hammer blow for Highbeech roundabout improvement scheme

Chepstow has been dealt a “hammer blow” by the Welsh Government’s failure to tackle a traffic bottleneck leading towards the M48 Severn Bridge, an MP has said.

Motorists are stuck in long queues at peak times when travelling from the A48 and reaching Highbeech roundabout.

The problem has existed for many years, but funding needed to make improvements to Highbeech has been withheld.

Welsh Government minister Lee Waters confirmed in a letter to the town’s MP David Davies that the scheme is “not considered urgent” at present and funding is being prioritised elsewhere across Wales.

Funding will instead be looked at to progress any improvements to the next stage as part of allocations in 2023/24.

Mr Davies said: “There is significant congestion at Highbeech roundabout where cross-border traffic merges, the impact of which is substantial as both residents and visitors are deciding to avoid Chepstow town centre and neighbouring areas.

“Alongside others from the local community, I have made repeated calls for a WelTAG (Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance) Stage 2 study to go ahead in order to look at and alleviate these traffic issues.

“The Welsh Labour Government has instead dealt a hammer blow to Chepstow by turning down funding yet again, preventing the WelTAG 2 study from being undertaken - despite the progress which had been made with WelTAG 1 - and subjecting residents to another year of unbearable traffic congestion.”

Mount Pleasant ward councillor Paul Pavia said: “This is significantly disappointing, especially when we know that former economy minister Edwina Hart commissioned a report back in 2016 which recommended changes to Highbeech roundabout to improve capacity.

“Welsh Government has only produced a strategic outline case for change at the roundabout since then. It’s only until we get to WelTAG stage 4 that spades are put into the ground. So besides wasting the last six years, it could be another four to six years before any improvements are actually undertaken.”

St Kingsmark ward councillor Christopher Edwards added: “Time and time again, Chepstow receives yet another major setback from Welsh Government as traffic congestion is not considered a priority.

“After a step in the right direction from Conservative border councils and our MPs in their joint agreement in March, the stumbling block was always the Welsh Labour Government's seemingly eternal freeze on new road-building projects.

“Now Chepstow receives a further blow from Welsh Government's failure to take Highbeech roundabout's improvements to the next stage.”

Cllr Edwards said another major concern was the lack of “strategic thinking” in solving Chepstow’s congestion and air pollution issues.

“There is no progressive approach from the new Labour administration in Monmouthshire in relation to a Chepstow bypass and Highbeech improvements,” he said.

“This last week we have discovered that the preferred strategy for the local development plan from Monmouthshire's new executive is to build 145 houses on the greenfield Bayfield site, which not only goes against the feelings of local residents but will also add to the congested pressures of Highbeech and Chepstow.

“Better infrastructure is desperately needed before more housing should even be considered.”