Ken Skates MS raises need for A483 improvements in Wrexham

The issue of much-needed improvements to the A483 in Wrexham has been raised in the Senedd.

Clwyd South MS Ken Skates called for an update on the Welsh Government’s review of the key local route yesterday (Wednesday) – and said work to make Junction 1 at Ruabon safer was vital.

In 2018, while Economy and Transport Minister, Mr Skates announced funding for work to improve junctions 3 to 6 on the A483. The Welsh Government, however, later paused all new road projects and said they would be reviewed.

Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters, is now responsible for transport. In the Senedd yesterday, he said: “The roads review panel has submitted its final report to the Welsh Government about its findings, and this includes the A483 junctions 3 to 6 improvements. I will be making a further announcement on the next steps of the roads review by the end of the month.”

Mr Skates has recently spoken of his concerns that congestion at several junctions on the dual carriageway has led to increased traffic on local roads. One example raised by parents is the spike in traffic on the road outside St Mary’s School in Ruabon.

He said: “Junction 1 at Ruabon was not included in the roads review and therefore work on improving that junction has not been paused, and it’s for good reason. That particular junction is utterly lethal and has created a congestion canyon right up the A483, with resulting carbon emissions increases.

“And, of course, it’s also sending motorists onto local roads, again putting lives at risk, particularly schoolchildren. Would you agree to visit the A483 and to meet with community leaders, and can you outline what progress has been made in the past year on work to improve junction 1 on the A483?”

The Minister responded: “The proposals that have been put forward by the local council for junction 1 would involve a large remodelling of the junction, which would be carbon intensive and would increase road capacity. So, this is relevant to the recommendations we’re anticipating from the roads review about future road schemes.

“There’s always a case for individual schemes. The cumulative impact of that is to add to traffic volumes. So, we do need to think very carefully. That said, where there are traffic problems there need to be solutions, and one of the themes in the roads review is how future roads can be made compliant with existing policies on climate change, transport, and planning.

“So, when we produce the results, in the areas where we accept the recommendations of the review not to go ahead with a road, we will want to work with the local authority and other partners to see what else can be done in that case. I’m not able to preannounce what’s decided – largely because we haven’t yet decided – but we’ll be updating Members in the coming weeks on the next steps.”

Mr Skates is due to meet Wrexham Council officers next week to discuss the problems with increased traffic around Ruabon and the concerns of parents at St Mary’s School.