Caernarfon bypass road closures anger residents

Work on the £135m bypass for Caernarfon and Bontnewydd is now well underway

Work on an £135m bypass has left some residents angry after being told they face lengthy road closures while construction takes place.

Lanes around the Gwynedd villages of Saron and Llanfaglan will close in February 2020 as work on the new Caernarfon-Bontnewydd road continues.

It is the latest in a series of disruptions along the bypass route.

The Welsh Government said it was working to minimise the impact of the construction project.

The new road will run for six miles (10km) from Llanwnda, three miles south of Caernarfon, through to Felinheli, two miles north of the town.

It is due to open to traffic in 2022.

Lynn Roberts says the road closures will hit her in the pocket

But residents in Saron and Llanfaglan said the disruption they faced would cost them time and money.

"The problem is they are going to close two roads at the same time," said Lynn Roberts, who lives in Saron, and works at a pre-school nursery group in Dinas.

Ms Roberts said she will face diversions as she takes her children to school in Bontnewydd, and again getting to work.

"It is more miles and more petrol," she added.

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Mari Hughes, who leads the Dinas nursery, said she was worried what the impact would be on their "cylch", or circle, which is part of the voluntary Welsh language pre-school body Mudiad Meithrin.

"We are a small cylch - like every rural cylch - always looking for money and trying to support ourselves," she said.

"So we are a little concerned parents won't use us."

Mari Hughes is worried how the construction work will affect the nursery group she leads

One Gwynedd councillor representing another ward where the new road will pass said he understood the concerns being raised.

"I have some sympathy to a degree with people who are complaining about lanes being closed," said Sion Jones, who represents Bethel.

"But the consultation has been held, people understand there will be temporary road closures, and I think they must just deal with that."

A Welsh Government spokesman said the bypass was a "significant" scheme for north west Wales and will "deliver benefits for local communities as well as people travelling in the area".

"The Welsh Government, Balfour Beatty and Jones Bros will continue to work closely with Gwynedd County Council, local communities and the public to ensure that the construction of this major new bypass brings the least disruption possible to road users and local businesses," he added.