Bypass plea in Welsh town facing constant gridlock

A Welsh council has been urged to outline how a bypass could be delivered for a town plagued by traffic gridlock. Chepstow in Monmouthshire regularly comes to a standstill with queues of traffic crawling through the town.

Traffic from the border into England along the A48 and drivers travelling over the old Severn Bridge on the M48 cause havoc in the town. Proposals for a relief road on the English side of the River Wye, south of Sedbury, gained fresh momentum recently after Forest of Dean MP Matt Bishop indicated his willingness to examine plans for what has been dubbed a "Forest Gateway Road".

The bypass would link Bulwark in Chepstow with a new crossing south of the current A48 bridge over the Wye. 

But councillors representing Chepstow appear split on the issue. Conservative members support the bypass proposal which the council pushed while under Tory control, but Labour members prefer a new Severn crossing between Lydney and Sharpness in Gloucestershire which was previously discussed with the UK Government.

Monmouthshire councillors will now be asked to "reaffirm that addressing the traffic congestion in and around Chepstow remains a strategic transport priority" for the county council. Chepstow Mount Pleasant councillor, Paul Pavia, is set to present a motion at the full council's meeting on Thursday.

The motion also requests that members ask the council's Labour and Green Party cabinet to provide an update on the proposed bypass or relief road, including potential funding sources.

Any new road would require financial backing from the UK Government. Cllr Pavia's motion recognises that Monmouthshire County Council and the Welsh Government play crucial roles in cross-border partnership working and scheme development.

The Conservative councillor's motion also calls for the full council to have the chance to debate and make recommendations to the cabinet on how the council could "progress infrastructure projects". The motion states this should happen "rather than the matter being deferred or allowed to stall further".

If the motion is approved, the cabinet will be obliged to submit a report to the council detailing the current status or previous commitments made in support of a bypass. This includes the agreement by the then Conservative-led Monmouthshire to jointly fund a business case with Gloucestershire in early 2022.

The report would also outline possible options for funding and advancing the next assessment phase for a bypass. It would provide a clear timetable for engagement and decision-making with Gloucestershire County Council, the Welsh and UK governments, and partners including MPs.