Llandeilo bypass exempt from road building freeze

A bypass round Llandeilo should help curb the traffic problems in the town

A bypass for a Carmarthenshire town will go ahead after the Welsh government said it was not part of its freeze on new road projects.

On Tuesday, it was announced all new road building projects in Wales would be put on hold, seemingly affecting the proposed £50m Llandeilo bypass.

But the Welsh government said on Friday the route was not part of the review.

The Deeside "Red Route" and a third crossing between Anglesey and the mainland are still on hold.

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said the bypass was "vital" for the town.

Residents in Llandeilo have been calling for action for four decades, with lorries driving through the main street, causing heavy congestion in the town.

Welsh Labour ministers agreed the bypass as part of a deal with Plaid Cymru to get the 2017-18 budget passed.

Work to build the road was initially supposed to begin in 2019, but this was delayed until 2022 in February last year and then until 2025 six months later.

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Earlier in the week, ministers said the halting of the road project was a necessary part of Wales' effort to reduce carbon emissions, while the Conservatives warned it was a "significant blow" to the economy.

HGVs are often driven through the centre of Llandeilo

Projects which already have diggers in the ground, such as the Heads of the Valleys road, were not included in the freeze.

The Welsh government said: "The Llandeilo bypass, which formed part of the budget agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Labour government in the previous Senedd, will not form part of the roads review."

Mr Price said: "Plaid Cymru has long argued that a bypass is vital for Llandeilo. There is a desperate need to address the unacceptably high air pollution levels and the street safety issues within the town.

"The people of Llandeilo have been campaigning for a bypass for over 50 years and numerous promises have been made over a number of years to local residents."

Mid and West Wales MS, Cefin Campbell, said: "We cannot continue with a situation were residents and visitors to Llandeilo are having to suffer high air pollution levels and of having to endure heavy lorries and buses mounting the pavements along the narrow streets."