Villagers back road safety schemes

There have been 35 seriously injuries on the road in 15 years

A £19m scheme to build a bypass and make an accident blackspot safe has been backed by villagers.

The Newbridge-on-Wye bypass will cost £4.1m but can only go ahead alongside a bigger £15m operation to improve a dangerous stretch of road south of the village.

Seventy nine accidents - 35 resulting in serious injury - have taken place there in the last 15 years.

On Tuesday more than 100 people turned up at a meeting at Newbridge-on-Wye, near Llandrindod Wells, to discuss the proposals.

The majority of the people in the centre of the village have wanted a bypass for several years Mike Webb, Llanyre community council

"People at the meeting were generally in favour of the bypass and have given the community council a mandate to make a decision on their behalf," said Mike Webb, chairman of Llanyre community council which also covers Newbridge-on-Wye.

"Most people living in the centre of the village have wanted a bypass for several years and the two local shopkeepers said they could live with it," he added.

Safety

The Welsh Assembly Government has prioritised improvements along the A470 - the main route between north and south Wales.

"The community has to decide if it wants a bypass and we will take their views into account when we contact the Welsh Assembly with our preferred option for the scheme," said Steve Burgess, Powys Council's head of transportation and network management.

On Monday, the council's highways committee decided to choose a re-alignment of road close to the existing A470 road and to back the bypass scheme.

The proposed work at Newbridge-on-Wye is part of a larger plan that could include building bypasses at Builth Wells and Rhayader.

Llanyre community council will discuss the proposed bypass at its next meeting on 18 November.

The final decision rests with the Welsh Assembly Government.

The Newbridge-on-Wye schemes are intended to be built between 2005 and 2008.