PLANS to add a third lane to the A40 in Monmouth took a step closer on Monday (8th January) when Monmouth Town Council recommended to accept the application.

The idea is to add a third lane to the southbound carriageway to allow a dedicated lane for traffic wishing to access Wyesham and the Forest of Dean.

The 1960s-built road was never meant to cope with such a modern-day volume of traffic, merely to serve as a bypass for the town of Monmouth and although it saved the medieval Monnow Bridge, it has increased pressure on the Wye Bridge as now only one direction of traffic can access it.

Originally the northbound vehicles were allowed to cross over the oncoming traffic but this was soon halted when large numbers of collisions were caused by mis-timing.

Now a collaboration between the Welsh Assembly and Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) is proposing a new 170m carriageway which will be used as a dedicated lane for turning left over the Wyebridge. It sits alongside a proposed improvement to the pedestrian subway as the plans intend to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety at the A40 and A466 Wyebridge junction.

There are also proposed alterations to the pedestrian subway and footpath ramps. On the river side, the ramp out of the subway will curve around, eliminating the current 90 degree exit.

To achieve this, plans submitted before MCC will see a temporary pedestrian footbridge running from the present footpath and subway access across the river to one of the bridge parapets which will mean a demolition of the existing wall of the Grade II listed Wye Bridge, originally a large medieval bridge which was rebuilt in 1615, and widened in 1878-80.

One of the concerns of the town council was that the bridge should be fully reinstated once the works are complete.

Following the conclusion of the main construction works for the widening of the carriageway, the application says the parapet will be rebuilt with the original materials. During the works, the removed materials will be stored securely in the construction compound.

The third lane would be incorporated into the existing A40 between Dixton roundabout and the Wye bridge, with the lane beginning after the underpass which provides access to Monmouth Rowing Club.

On the bridge itself, the existing traffic signals will be replaced and moved further back, with the stop line adjusted to allow lorries and other large vehicles to turn without crossing into the middle lane on the A40.

The project has received funds for improvements to the junction under the Welsh Government’s Local Transport Fund grant with an expected final bill of £1.3 million for the project.