Sinking problem on relief road

The new road is designed to ease congestion on the M4

Part of a £55m new road built to relieve congestion around a busy stretch of the M4 has sunk.

Work to rectify the stretch which was built on a former rubbish tip in Newport, is taking place before the road is fully opened.

Contractors said that the sinking section was a "teething problem" and that it posed no safety issues.

The Southern Distributor Road is designed to alleviate heavy traffic problems in and around Newport.

Contractors said that the section of road, which is near Maesglas in the western side of the city, was under repair.

There are no safety concerns with it, but we would rather put it right now that have a bumpy road Peter Frood, Morgan Vinci Ltd

Project manager Peter Frood from Morgan Vinci Ltd, one of the parties involved in the scheme, said that reinforced concrete slabs were being put down for better weight distribution.

"There is a small area that has not performed as well as it should," he said.

"It has sunk about 50mm more than it should have done.

"If you've got that in the road, you can pick it up in a vehicle.

"There are no safety concerns with it, but we would rather put it right now that have a bumpy road.

"We always anticipated that it would move, its just moved more than we thought," he said.

Construction work on the scheme has been ongoing since 2002.

The road is due to open fully by the autumn.

Mr Frood said that the repair work on the section of road that has sunk will not have an effect on the estimated completion time.

But he said that as well as the unexpected sinking of the stretch of road, workers were having to make other repairs.

"A few sections of fencing which stops the noise from the road near residential areas is being damaged by kids," he said.

"And we are carrying out routine repairs on kerbs and things," he added.