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Writer's pictureSafer Highways

Key decisions on third Menai bridge and 54 other road schemes stay in deep freeze as budgets cut


Key decisions on North Wales road projects like a third Menai crossing and Deeside’s ‘Red Route’ have been put back - with Welsh Government blaming capital budget cuts from Westminster.


In June last year Welsh Government’s new Climate Change ministry pressed pause on all road schemes in Wales unless spades were already in the ground to assess each one against climate and economic criteria.


There were 55 projects in total including the A55 roundabouts removal scheme at Llanfairfechan and Penmaenmawr, the Red Route at A55/A494, a third bridge over the Menai Strait, and the £14m Llanbedr bypass. The Government asked the panel to fast track the roundabouts and Llanbedr decisions - and both were halted after recommendations from the panel.


In September the panel submitted its final report with recommendations for the remaining schemes and Lee Waters MS, Deputy Minister for Climate Change, had been expected to deliver his decisions on the schemes by the end of November.


But he now says this has been put back due to the tightening of the Welsh Government's capital budget after the latest Autumn statement by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

Welsh Conservative Natasha Asghar, the party’s shadow transport minister, said “Labour is on road to nowhere” and it was time to get building the roads that Wales needs.


Deputy minister Lee Waters said: “In September 2022, I published a written statement about the final report of the Roads Review panel. I would like to thank the chair Dr Lynn Sloman and the panel members for their hard work and dedication for this comprehensive and important report.

“The Roads Review makes recommendations about future transport policy as well as judging the 55 roads schemes in the current pipeline against existing policy.


“Responding to the recommendations is a complex piece of work which has been further complicated by the significant reduction in our spending power following the UK Government’s financial crash. As a result of the Autumn Statement the Welsh Government’s capital budgets will be 8.1% lower in 2024-25.


“It is important that we now reconsider our full response to the Roads Review in light of the deteriorating fiscal and economic situation we have been placed in by the UK Government.

“We will set out our response, together with those schemes which we will be taking forward, in our National Transport Delivery Plan, which will be published shortly.”

No date has been given for its publication.


Natasha Asghar said: “The way the Labour government is going about their roadbuilding freeze is driving people mad. It is astonishing that Lee Waters thinks it is acceptable to put infrastructure projects that drive growth, business, and jobs in Wales on hold and then has the cheek to blame the UK Conservative government who have long highlighted the folly of banning roadbuilding.

“We know that the current economic situation has been caused by an increase in global energy prices, the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, and Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine, so Labour should lay the blame there and accept that they are responsible that no roads have been built in over a year in Wales.

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