A40: Llanddewi Velfrey to Redstone Cross improvements

Why we are doing it

The A40 between St Clears and Haverfordwest is mainly a single carriageway. We want to upgrade the existing road to improve safety and to incorporate new cycling and walking routes.

Current issues are:

• few places for overtaking slower vehicles
• poor visibility
• many accesses opening on to the road
• summer traffic can increase by over 30%
• the road splits the communities
• the A40 runs through Llanddewi Velfrey where there is a 40mph speed limit. This means that journey times are poor. The road is dangerous for drivers as they may take bigger risks when passing slower vehicles.
• the A40 mainline and Redstone Cross Junction is substandard

We identified in the A40 West of St Clears study that there was a need for this scheme. We revisited and updated the study in 2015 to confirm that we should go ahead with this project.

Current progress

We have:

• our site office is now open and ready for operations
• we have successfully completed our ecology investigations
• we have begun clearing the vegetation to prepare for the upcoming work
• the relocation of utilities has started
• construction work on bridges, culverts, and underpasses is in progress
• we have started large-scale earthworks across the entire scheme
• as part of our environmental commitment, we have planted around 100,000 trees

To allow these works to be carried out safely, we may need to use temporary traffic measures. We consider the impact of works on road users, residents, and our workforce before we put any traffic management measures in place. For up-to-date traffic news regarding this scheme, please visit: A40 Llanddewi Velfrey to Redstone Cross improvements (Traffic Wales).

We appreciate your support and patience as we continue to make progress on this exciting project.

Timetable

Public local inquiries: spring and autumn 2020
Orders made for the scheme: March 2021
Procurement of contractor: autumn 2020 to summer 2021
Construction starts: summer 2021
Construction ends: autumn 2024

What we are doing

We want to:

• improve the road and make it easier to access key employment, community and tourism destinations.
• make it easier to access the county town of Haverfordwest, the Haven Enterprise Zone and ports at Fishguard, Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock.
• make it easier for the community to access other parts of the village and local area
• reduce the effect of pollution and traffic on the community to improve its health and wellbeing
• lower the number and severity of collisions
• make the Redstone Cross junction safer
• make it easier to travel by bike, horseback and on foot
• make it easier for the local community to use the local transport network to travel to key transport hubs

We will:

• build new 6km of road, away from the existing road
• build a new roundabout to the east of Llanddewi Velfrey to access the village
• build a new junction west of Llanddewi Velfrey
• improve the Penblewin roundabout
• put in a new junction at Redstone Cross
• build two overbridges for the existing roads
• install drainage and mammal underpasses
• put in cycle and footpaths along the old road network

We want to deliver a project that is sustainable, and take steps to reduce or offset waste and carbon.

How we are consulting

Llanddewi Velfrey to Penblewin

We undertook a public consultation in 2006 as part of the process to develop the preferred route. We engaged with Pembrokeshire businesses during the 2015 study.

We held two public exhibitions in April and October 2017.

Following the publication of draft Orders in July 2019, we took a decision to hold a public local inquiry, due to objections received to the draft Orders. A pre-inquiry meeting took place in January 2020.

The public local inquiry was held in March 2020.

Penblewin to Redstone Cross

We held two series of public information exhibitions in April 2019.

We held a public consultation, which ran between July 2019 and September 2019.

We held a further public information exhibition in December 2019.

We held draft Orders exhibitions in August 2020 following publication of the draft orders in July 2020.

Following the publication of draft Orders in July 2020, we took a decision to hold a public local inquiry, due to objections received to the draft Orders.

A public local inquiry was held in November 2020.

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