A section of one of the busiest roads in west Wales is set to undergo a £20m transformation that is hoped to improve safety and shorten journey times.
The Welsh Government launched a consultation earlier this year to seek views on improvements to the A40 in Pembrokeshire , between Penblewin roundabout and the Redstone Cross junction.
A study found this section of the road was currently “substandard”, with “limited overtaking opportunities which led to poor journey time reliability and driver frustration”.
Four improvement options were considered and the preferred option, announced by the Welsh Government on Monday, will see greater and safer overtaking opportunities in both west and east directions on the popular road, which connects Pembrokeshire with Carmarthenshire.
This will be achieved by the creation of a “2+1” lane configuration, allowing overtaking in one direction at any one time.
The improvements will also see the construction of an overbridge on the B4313, to keep both sides of the A40 safely connected, while a new shared cyclist and pedestrian facility is being considered.
The project, which will provide around 1.2km of overtaking opportunities, will cost an estimated £20m.
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The Welsh Government’s economy and transport minister, Ken Skates, said the concerns of local people living in the Penblewin and Redstone Cross areas played a pivotal part in the decision making to plan ahead with the road improvements.
“In making this decision we have listened carefully to local residents and believe the proposed improvements would deliver real benefits for them,” said Mr Skates.
“The proposals would provide greater resilience, enhance journey time reliability, and improve safety.”
People will be able to find out more about the plans at a public information exhibition to be held between 12pm and 8pm on Monday (December 16) at Queens Hall in Narberth.
The Welsh Government is hoping that construction on the £20m project will begin in 2021.
It is part of a wider plan to improve the A40 in west Wales, which also includes plans to create a 2.5km bypass from Bethel Chapel to Ffynnon Wood - which will rejoin the existing road at Penblewin roundabout - and 2.5km of improvements west of Ffynnon Wood, at a cost of £45m.
These plans were put in doubt when the contractor tasked with carrying out the work, Carillion, went into liquidation in 2018, but it is hoped that construction will be completed by 2022.
The Welsh Government has also begun a study - due to be completed in the spring of next year - into the A40 between Carmarthen and St Clears, an eight-mile stretch of dual carriageway that has seen more than 350 crashes since 2010.
