Work on a bypass which will improve road safety and journey times around a village close to the Powys/Shropshire border will start early next year, it was revealed today.

The A483 multi-million pound improvement scheme for Four Crosses, near Oswestry, will take thousands of cars and lorries away from the heart of the village.

Concerns about the volume of traffic in the village were first raised by the local community council in 1994.

The road, which will include a 1,400 metre long, single carriageway bypass, will run to the west of the village and rejoin the existing A483 just outside the 30mph speed restricted zone.

A Welsh Assembly spokesman said today: “The construction of a new section of trunk road to the west of Four Crosses will remove cars and HGVs from an existing sub-standard route, which passes through the heart of the community. This should reduce both casualty numbers and community severance.

“In addition, the improvement will provide regional accessibility and mobility, improve journey times and enhance walking and cycling conditions in this area of Wales, while improving our transport links as set out in the One Wales Agreement.

“The A483 is the main trunk road through Wales, linking North and South Wales, as well as communities from both sides of the border. We are currently in the process of inviting tenders for the construction of the bypass and work is expected to start early next year,” he added.

Anne Jones, a resident from Four Crosses, said she was pleased that work would finally be starting on the scheme.

She said: “It will make the village a lot safer and quieter and will also improve road safety. We are very excited and look forward to seeing the end result.”

Although the Four Crosses bypass has been given the go-ahead, the Pant and Llanymynech sections have been shelved because of a funding crisis.

Montgomeryshire AM Mick Bates said: “Plans for a bypass at the neighbouring villages of Llanymynech and Pant have been abandoned in England.”

By Anwen Evans