'Fire showed just how vulnerable the A55 is'

CHAOS 'HIGHLIGHTS LONG-STANDING FAILURES'

- By RICHARD EVANS Local Democracy Reporter

LAST week's major fire in the Conwy Tunnel shows just how vulnerable the A55 is to disruption, a councillor has said.

Penmaenmawr councillor Cathy Augustine welcomed the reopening of the Conwy Tunnel after a crane lorry fire shut it down but said the chaos highlighted long-standing failures in improving the road.

"This incident highlighted yet again how vulnerable our stretch of the A55 is to accidents and delays, despite being a main arterial route from Ireland to Europe," she said.

"Across Penmaenmawr ward we are, unfortunately, used to the chaos that follows incidents in the tunnels on the A55 that impact our local traffic and often bring lorries and other large unsuitable vehicles speeding through our village roads and attempting to navigate the Sychnant Pass."

While she said she was grateful to police for getting a contraflow in place quickly, Cllr Augustine warned that residents are stuck with daily congestion and danger, especially at the Puffin Roundabout at Junction 16. "I'm surprised that we don't have more serious accidents as huge lorries hurtle towards this roundabout as though the entrance is a slip road," she said.