£200m A55/A494 Deeside road upgrade consultation in March

Views of Aston Hill, Flintshire Bridge and Deeside Industrial Estate

A consultation on tackling congestion on the A494 and A55 in Deeside costing over £200m will take place in March.

Economy Secretary Ken Skates said it would be the largest investment since the roads were built.

He also said extra resources will be spent tackling pinch-points along the A55 in north Wales.

Mr Skates outlined his plans for transport investment over the next five years in a speech at Cardiff Airport.

He said a delayed public inquiry into a new £1.1bn six-lane M4 relief road south of Newport will begin on 28 February.

In north Wales, Mr Skates highlighted congestion problems at the Black Cat roundabout off the A55 at Llandudno Junction, Conwy county.

He also said money would be invested on reducing congestion on the A483 near Wrexham.

"Between those two key arteries (A483 and A55) we are going to be better connecting north Wales with the Midlands and the North West, ensuring that cross border economy continues to grow," he said.

Plans for road improvements on the A494/A55 in Deeside were first mooted in 2006.

Homes were demolished to make way for a controversial seven-lane highway on the A55 and A494 at Aston Hill in Flintshire, before ministers threw those plans out.

In 2015, it was announced that two routes were being assessed with one focusing on the A55/A494 from the River Dee bridge to Northop.

The second looked at highway and transport improvements using the existing A458 Flintshire Bridge.