No respite for M4 drivers as relief road calls rejected again

SENEDD members have roundly rejected Conservative calls to deliver an M4 relief road, six years on from the Welsh Government pulling the plug on the project.

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Sam Rowlands described the M4 relief road as a golden opportunity, not only to ease congestion for motorists but also to boost the economy.

The Conservatives’ shadow finance secretary said the Welsh Government spent £135m of public money on the project before it was scrapped in June 2019.

He accused then-first minister Mark Drakeford of breaking a pledge on the £1.6bn relief road and going against an inquiry’s finding that the costs would outweigh the benefits two to one.

Mr Rowlands told the Senedd: “At every step of this journey, there’s been indecision and money wasted.

“At the end of it all, it's been the Welsh people who've had to suffer as a result. And nothing has been done to ease congestion around Newport ever since.”