An M4 relief road could be built under new post-Brexit rules giving the UK Government spending power on major infrastructure projects.
This comes after the internal Market bill, set to be published today (September 9), gives the UK Government the power to go ahead with the £1.4bn project - provided it has backing from MPs and local authorities, reports Wales Online.
The road would run south of Newport, around 45 minutes from Bristol, and is aimed to cut congestion on the M4 motorway.
Last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised the road would be built in a statement to the House of Commons.
However, the plan has been rejected by the Welsh Government and First Minister Mark Drakeford has said "that decision is over" after the project was shelved last year.
He said that he would be "concentrating on the alternatives" to solving the major traffic problems in the area.
It is said that the internal Market bill will detail what will happen from January 1, when the UK's transition period comes to an end and powers currently held by Brussels are repatriated.
It will mean sweeping new powers for the administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the UK Government stated.
However, spending powers on infrastructure, economic development, culture, sport, and support for educational, training and exchange opportunities will come under the UK Government.
The Welsh Government said the bill is "an attack on democracy" which will "sacrifice the future of the union by stealing powers from devolved administrations".
Scottish Government minister have branded it a "Westminster power grab".
Ministers in London have argued the new law is needed to ensure a "level playing field" for businesses in all four nations of the UK, claiming it will "protect trade and jobs across the UK by preventing new burdens on business when the Transition Period ends."
UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma said the legislation would protect the UK's "highly integrated market" by "guaranteeing that companies can continue to trade unhindered in every part of the UK after the transition period ends and EU law falls away".
He added: "Without these necessary reforms, the way we trade goods and services between the home nations could be seriously impacted, harming the way we do business within our own borders.
"Now is not the time to create uncertainty for business with new barriers and additional costs that would trash our chances of an economic recovery."
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Simon Hart MP, Secretary of State for Wales says: "Our trade takes place overwhelmingly with the rest of the UK and it is vital that it continues to be seamless, safeguarding thousands of Welsh jobs. For all parts of the UK to grow and thrive, products, ideas and investment must continue to flow unhindered."
But Wales Counsel General Jeremy Miles said it's now clear "that our concerns on behalf of the people of Wales, have not been addressed."
He added: "Let me be clear – the UK Government plans to sacrifice the future of the union by stealing powers from devolved administrations. This bill is an attack on democracy and an affront to the people of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, who have voted in favour of devolution on numerous occasions."
