A commuter road in North Wales will finally be repaired after suffering damage in Storm Christoph back in January 2021.
The Welsh Government has awarded Wrexham Council £2.8 million to carry out vital repairs to the B5605 in Newbridge, near Wrexham
The road, which serves as a busy commuter route for local people and provides a diversion option for the A483 bypass, has been closed since the storm.
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Due to the severity of the damage a series of complex surveys and cost analysis has been carried out by Wrexham Council to establish the extent of repair needed before work can begin to make the road operational again.
Following a recent successful funding bid to the Welsh Government, repairs will begin later this year.
The Deputy Minister for Climate Change with responsibility for Transport Lee Waters said: “Storm Christoph had devastating consequences for communities when it hit Wales last year, causing major disruption to our infrastructure and roads.
"Throughout the long recovery process we have been working very closely with all local authorities and I am pleased that we have been able to provide vital funding for Wrexham Council to make the necessary repairs to this road through our Resilient Roads Fund.
“We continue to work hard to build resilience in our travel networks and wider infrastructure as we plan ahead for climate change.”
Ian Bancroft, Chief Executive for Wrexham Council said: “Repairing this road will make a massive difference to people in Newbridge, Cefn Mawr and Rhosymedre – as well as surrounding communities like Plas Madoc, Ruabon and Chirk.
“It’s not a straight-forward road-repair – the damage is substantial and we’ve had to undertake a lot of in-depth geo-technical assessments and cost analysis.
“But we’re delighted we’ve been able to secure this funding, and look forward to reopening this key piece of infrastructure.”
Climate change will increase the intensity and frequency of storms and other extreme weather events, putting added pressure on infrastructure.
Welsh Government said in respond to that it is carrying out a nationwide roads review to balance spending between new road construction, and adapting and maintaining existing ones.
This has seen two major North Wales road projects on the A55 at Llanfairfechan and Penmaenmawr and the Llanbedr Bypass cancelled.
It also said it was investing in public transport to make it an easy alternative for more people, further releasing pressure on Wales’ roads.
