Work on a third crossing over the Menai Strait is to restart immediately, the Welsh Government has said, as it also announced a fresh study into how to fix congestion on the M4 around Newport. Speaking in the Senedd, the Deputy Minister for Transport, Mark Hooper, set out what the BBC describes as a mix of immediate steps and longer-term plans.
Key points
- Menai crossings — development work on a third crossing restarts, covering design, environmental assessment, business case and approvals.
- Britannia Bridge — wind deflectors, variable speed limits and other operational changes are planned; three-lane tidal flow is ruled out on safety grounds.
- M4 around Newport — an 18-month study will look at road-based solutions, with a preferred option chosen at the end.
- Shorter-term work — maintenance, junction improvements, freight routes and public transport schemes over the next five years.
A review found that resilience is the main problem for communities, businesses and travellers on Ynys Môn and across north Wales whenever the crossings are closed or restricted. The government says it will keep investing in managing and maintaining the existing bridges, and will pay for practical measures on Britannia Bridge, including wind deflectors and variable speed limits, to cut disruption. A three-lane tidal-flow arrangement on Britannia Bridge was examined but has been dropped because of significant safety and operational concerns.
On the M4, the review concluded that congestion damages journey reliability and that no single fix will work alone. Road infrastructure improvement is needed, ministers say, but because the options are complex, an 18-month study will run before a preferred roads-based solution is picked. In the meantime, a five-year programme covers motorway renewal and maintenance, better operation of the motorway, targeted work on roads and junctions near Newport, and freight resilience through alternative routes such as the A465. Public transport also features, with Transport for Wales support to speed up Cardiff Parkway and Magor and Undy stations, better access to Severn Tunnel Junction and stronger bus links between Newport and Cardiff.
Hooper said people wanted "action, not endless discussion" and reliable journeys, adding that measures would cut peak-hour traffic by up to around one in ten vehicles. He said people on Ynys Môn and in north Wales had waited a long time for certainty, and that work on a third crossing would begin while the existing crossings were made more resilient.
What it means in practice
For most people in Wales, nothing changes on the road tomorrow: this is a set of decisions about work that will take years. The practical effect is that a third Menai crossing is back on the table, the existing bridges get short-term reliability measures, and the M4 argument is pushed into another study rather than a construction start.
- Anglesey and north Wales travellers — expect continued closures and delays on the existing crossings while design and assessment work proceeds; the resilience measures on Britannia Bridge are the part likely to be felt soonest.
- Newport and M4 drivers — no new road capacity is confirmed yet; the next 18 months decide the preferred option, so any relief before then comes from maintenance, junction tweaks and freight diversions.
- Public transport users — station and bus projects between Newport and Cardiff are the clearest near-term item to watch, as they could change commuting options before any motorway work begins.
