Wrexham industrial estate £30m link road due to open

A convoy of vehicles will drive down the road to mark the opening

A £30m road serving one of Europe's largest industrial estates is opening ahead of schedule and within budget.

The project in Wrexham began in 2010 to improve access for 300 businesses.

The north route runs from Borras roundabout to Bryn Lane roundabout, while the southern route goes from Cross Lanes to Five Fords.

Later on Monday Local Government Minister Carl Sargeant will open the link road, which Wrexham council described as long-awaited.

Convoy

The road was funded by the Welsh government, and the cost was originally estimated at £35m.

It is expected to ease access to the estate which employs more than 7,000 people.

A convoy of vehicles with links to the industrial estate will drive down the road as part of the official opening.

All the dual carriageway is expected to be open on the day and landscaping of the area will take place in the autumn.

A public inquiry was held ahead of the project getting the go-ahead as local landowners raised concerns over disruption.

Work on one of the linked roundabouts caused delays earlier this year, as contractors closed adjacent roads.

Explaining the benefits to users of the estate, project manager Paul Foulkes, said: "First of all, it's a lot more appropriate.

The relief road was completed five weeks ahead of schedule

"We have got country lanes at the moment that are being used by articulated wagons that are having to pass each other during peak times and throughout the day."

He added: "The key thing really for the employers will be reliability of journey times.

"The reduction in the journey time on a good day probably isn't that great but the reliability is the key thing.

"People using the road on one day can be fairly sure that the time it took them that day will be repeated next week, next month, next year."