Back in the headlines on the BBC again today. So should the WG be spending a £Billion on this road?

I wonder how much they have spent on it already?
Some guys at a consultancy I worked at (NOT cheap) were working on this 8-odd years ago.

No and it’ll destroy a load of wetland habitat too, I’d hazard a guess that the build will run into issues due to the wetland route too so would end up costing a lot more & longer than quoted

Thought the M4 was already a relief road around Newport. A relief you don’t have to enter Newport 😛

Does seem odd to have a relief road for a motorway…Just add a minimum speed limit with mini gattling guns instead of cameras to enforce it.

Just add a minimum speed limit with mini battling guns instead of cameras to enforce it.

It’s already a managed motorway (and before that it was a permanent 50mph limit for a while).

But that is a MAXIMUM speed limit.

Does seem odd to have a relief road for a motorway

It’s because there are loads of junctions around Newport, and many of them take the inside lane away so it’s only two lanes between the on and off ramp.

Minimum speed limit is a really silly idea.

No to road building

No and it’ll destroy a load of wetland habitat too,

What, Wales?

It’s green for a reason. 🙂

No to road building

Anyone who suggests that I bet hasn’t to suffer the M4 in the area – very tight, twisty with many junctions.

Close J27 and close 2 of 25, 25a and 26 to make a single junction. Obviously will need to shuffle the link roads a bit but has to be cheaper and less destructive than a new motorway. Why are there 6 junctions for a small city?

.Minimum speed limit is a really silly idea.

It was a tongue in cheek comment 🙄

Which I would have thought was obvious to most people.

Coldra to the Tunnels is always bad, then from tunnels to Junction 26 is a lottery.

It is incredible to think there are fragile wetlands around the ‘port but there really are Nash Goldcliff and Wentlodge are amazing.

Which I would have thought was obvious to most people.

You never know on STW…

Isn’t the current route proposal avoiding most of the wetlands?

It’s because there are loads of junctions around Newport, and many of them take the inside lane away so it’s only two lanes between the on and off ramp.

, both of which are gummed up by tossers slowing and trying to time their swoop into the exit lane to ****-perfection ?

Someone from Plaid called it a vanity project. In all fairness, it might have its issues, but it’s nothing like a vanity project as there is a real problem with traffic. There might be a better solution though.

andyl – Member

Does seem odd to have a relief road for a motorway…Just add a minimum speed limit with mini gattling guns instead of cameras to enforce it.

The problem is that after a few hundred miles of 3 lane motorway from London to Newport, it suddenly becomes a dual carriageway in all but name for a few junctions.

There’s an argument for the environmental impact of it, but then having hundreds and hundreds of cars creeping along at 20 for a few hours every Friday is hardly eco-friendly either and with the trains at capacity I don’t think there’s another solution really.

I suppose widening the Bryn Glas Tunnels is a non-starter?

I suppose widening the Bryn Glas Tunnels is a non-starter?

I’d guess widening a lot of it is a non starter – quite a lot of elevated sections too.

I doubt that it will go ahead unless you can create an offset habitat. Wetland ecosystems are massively complex and are quite rightly heavily protected. Wales may be green, but there are not many wetlands left that have not been screwed up by us so if you are going to build a road though them you have a very expensive project to try. And protect and use them whilst you are building your road.

By way of contrast I have just spent today suveying 52 hectares of habitat with the potential to be turned back in to a wet meadow to offset some areas so it can be done. I can’t tell you how much this will cost though!

Based on my experience last night driving back into London along the M4, the elevated section from Boston Manor into Chiswick could do with upgrading before other areas.

Closing half the junctions has got to be a winner…back to three lanes and upgrade the remaining junctions to avoid queues onto the motorway.

I understand the M25 has the same issue, although its got plenty of lanes, the high frequency of junctions increases the number of cars using it as a local route and more queues at the slips.

I understand the M25 has the same issue, although its got plenty of lanes, the high frequency of junctions increases the number of cars using it as a local route

Surely a good thing. Gets cars off local roads mixing with peds, cyclists, etc on to motorways, the safest roads.

The motorway needs to be designed with enough capacity in the first place of course.

It is a nightmare at times, but I can’t see there being a feasible solution. They tried tempory shutting of one of the port talbot junctions (similar issues) but I don’t think that worked.

They should just improve the train service, and make cycling a serious option between Cardiff and Newport. That, together with keeping the bl**dy English on their side of the bridge would solve all traffic problems without the need for a relief road.

Just waiting for them to finish dualling Heads of the Valleys road, a lot of traffic from the Midlands should be able to dodge Newport (and the bridge tolls) then.

They should just improve the train service, and make cycling a serious option between Cardiff and Newport

Yeah that’ll work. When most people would think cycling to Newport would be like cycling to the moon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induced_demand