A5 dualling between Shrewsbury and Wales decades away, says mayor
The dualling of the A5 between Shrewsbury and the Welsh border - the subject of a Government study that got under way this week - is still decades away, Oswestry's mayor has said.
Councillor John Gareth Jones says while he welcomes news of the cross border survey, he believes the huge construction costs make the dual carriageway a non-starter in the short term.
Instead he wants to see warning signs and traffic calming initiatives to make drivers more aware of the dangers of the road.
The 20-mile stretch between Montford Bridge and Ruabon is the only single carriageway road on the Trans European Highway that runs from Dover/Folkstone to Holyhead.
Roads minister John Hayes recently announced that Highways England will undertake a six month study from April to see if the road could be made two lanes in both directions.
The news has been welcomed by campaigners who called for the Oswestry bypass to be made a dual carriageway when it was first built more than 25 years ago.
The study into the A5 is one of the first projects to come from talks between the Government and the Welsh Assembly over issues facing those living on the border of Wales and England.
Mr Hayes said last week: "In the meetings, representatives from both bodies will discuss matters that are not exclusively the responsibility of either the Highways Agency or Welsh Assembly but where the two bodies need to work together."
"Highways issues have proved one of the major talking points so far."
He said the agency was undertaking a study of the A5 trunk road north of Shrewsbury and that initial vehicle counting had already started.
"A traffic survey was completed in March and this will be fed into a study proper from April," he said.
Owen Paterson, who is fighting to retain is North Shropshire Parliamentary seat in the election, said he had already spoken to the man heading the study, Robert Jaffier.
He said: "I expressed my view that the A5 simply must be dualled and that the best way to do it is in stages, starting with the sections between Wolf's Head and Queen's Head."
Councillor Jones said: "The road should have be built as a dual carriageway from the very beginning, almost 30 years ago.
"I welcome the study but I just cant see how it can be turned into a dual carriageway in the next 20 years at least. There isnt the money for such big projects. What I want to see is safety measures put in and also signs warning people to take care.
The former professional driver said: "I believe there is not such thing as a bad road, just bad drivers."
The A5 does not feature in the Highways England five year strategic plan from 2015-2020.
