Powys County Council ‘needs to do more for £68m Newtown bypass’

Earlier this year, contractors from Alun Griffiths who are working on the Newtown bypass construction said work was progressing well, and it could potentially be finished by the end of 2018.

Newtown and Mid Wales has been crying out for a bypass for many years, due to crippling traffic congestion in the town.

But now it is imminent, Montgomeryshire MP Glyn Davies believes Powys County Council is not doing enough to take full advantage of the biggest construction in the county for decades.

He said: “This could be the year of the bypass, I think it will be more towards the end of the year.

“It is an exciting one but for me I would like to see more being done by the local authority to take advantage of it.

“I would like to see them making plans for factory space of the bypass to increase business, and more housing plans for people coming into the town.

“This is a big development, the biggest for many years in Mid Wales that will benefit everyone in the county and we need to take full advantage of it.”

Mr Davies and other colleagues have been on the case of the bypass for decades, pushing for something to be done.

Following a three week public inquiry back in June 2015, the development was given the go-ahead.

Mr Davies added: “It is nice that next year, or possibly into 2019, we will see this major development come to fruition.”

Earlier this year project manager Nick Cleary admitted a lot of work has already taken place on the project, around 50 per cent.

Some other figures on the project include around 250 workers on the ground, and two and a half million tonnes of earth being shifted.

Mr Cleary said: “I am happy with where we are, and we are on time for the contract completion date in the with his the spring of 2019.

“However if we can meet targets then it could be done by the end of 2018. It is as we were expecting, but there is a long way to go yet.

“A lot of work has been done, but a lot of work is left to do.

“Certain things need to be done at certain times for other things to take place.

“We’ve got one-and-a-half winters left to go and some things are weather dependent, such as the wind and putting up structures.”

The scene now looks completely different to that of 18 months ago, with Glandulas Bridge on the south of the route complete and the Upper Dolfor Road bridge built and in use.

The biggest structure of the route, the bridge at Dolfor Road, which is 94 metres in total span is midway through completion.

It is one of 11 structures that need to be built, including seven bridges.

Four underpasses are to be built, two of which are completed and the route also includes 14 tunnels for wildlife to pass under the road.