AN OFFER which is hoped will help secure a bypass for Chepstow has been made by Monmouth Assembly Member Nick Ramsay who said a new road is the “obvious solution” to the town’s traffic woes.

Mr Ramsay has written to the Welsh Government offering to be a bridge between the Welsh and UK Governments to help secure a commitment for a Chepstow bypass to end the town’s chronic traffic congestion.

Writing to the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Ken Skates, Nick Ramsay explained concerns that traffic congestion in the town is set to get worse as the Severn Bridge tolls are abolished at the end of 2018 and as demand for housing in the area increases.  Chepstow is already one of the worst places in South Wales for air pollution, with World Health Organisation (WHO) figures showing the town’s air had an estimated 12 micrograms of polluting material per cubic metre: the limit being 10.

The primary source of pollution levels in Chepstow is the A48 trunk road, which is the responsibility of the Welsh Government.

Mr Ramsay said: “A Chepstow bypass is the obvious solution to daily traffic jams and poor air quality in and around Chepstow. Clearly, this solution would require cross-border co-operation between the Welsh and UK Governments as more than half the new road would be in Gloucestershire.

“As the local Assembly Member for the area, I would be more than happy to act as a link between the Welsh Government in Cardiff Bay and the Conservative Government in Westminster to help this vital project get off the ground – it is vital to residents in Chepstow.”

It comes after calls for the Welsh Government to build a bypass around Chepstow to tackle air pollution and ease congestion were taken to Parliament by Monmouth MP David Davies. In February, Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) officers met with counterparts from Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) and the Forest of Dean District Council to discuss transport issues.

The idea of a Chepstow bypass has been repeatedly suggested for a number of years, with a petition presented to the local authority last summer signed by more than 200 people.