Bypass 'only choice' to solve Hereford congestion

Hereford's A49 Greyfriar's bridge is currently the city's only major road over the river Wye, with "major maintenance" due in the coming years

Plans for a bypass for Hereford will be discussed by Herefordshire Council's cabinet next week, as part of a new road strategy.

Work on the project, which includes a southern link road and a western bypass over the river Wye, was stopped in 2021.

But the council's Conservative administration has resurrected the scheme, arguing it is needed to reduce congestion and to unlock land for development.

Construction work on the first phase of the western route could start as early as late 2026. The council estimates its total cost could be more than £300m.

“The western bypass is the only way we can deliver on the objectives,” said Conservative councillor Philip Price, Herefordshire Council’s cabinet member for transport and infrastructure.

He argued the route was needed to improve air quality in Hereford city centre, and to allow land to be developed for new homes and businesses.

Around 16,000 new homes are needed in the county by 2041. The council says the majority will have to go around Hereford.

Unlike proposals for an eastern river crossing, Mr Price said a western route would take enough through traffic off the city’s A49 Greyfriars bridge to allow the road to be “detrunked”.

“You could have bus lanes, you could have cycle lanes [on it]. You have to have the western route to be able to do that,” he said.

Herefordshire Council's papers set out the benefits and costs of the proposed western bypass and link road, alongside those of the proposed eastern river crossing

The idea of a bypass around Hereford was first proposed more than half a century ago. Plans for a western route were approved in 2018, but put on hold after local elections the following year.

In 2021 they were scrapped by a coalition of independents and Greens, who began to investigate an eastern crossing instead.

But the Conservatives regained minority control of Herefordshire Council in May 2023.

“It’s a question of what is going to provide the most resilience," Conservative council leader Jonathan Lester said.

"It’s a fundamental decision to the importance of Herefordshire’s future.”

According to the council, a western route could be delivered in two phases:

• Phase One would be a southern link road from the A49 south of Hereford to the A465. Construction on the road could begin as early as late 2026, with its cost estimated to be up to £35m.

• Phase Two would be a western bypass over the river Wye, from the A465 to the A49 north of Hereford. Construction on this phase could begin as early as 2031. Estimates on its cost currently range from £240m to £278m.

Conservative cabinet member Philip Price and council leader Jonathan Lester have both thrown their backing behind the western route

As part of its capital programme for the coming years, Herefordshire Council has already set aside more than £10m to restart Hereford’s southern link road.

The council said the scheme could also be funded by a portion of the £101m that Herefordshire had been allocated by the Department for Transport’s Local Transport Fund, set up after the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2.

“The government have been extremely helpful in dedicating a sum of money… to get this whole process moving,” said Mr Lester.

“In the long term we’ll need more support.”