Carl Sargeant: “I’m delighted that the red route has been chosen”

News that a major improvement to the Deeside Corridor will take the form of the red route has been welcomed by an AM.

Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, is delighted that Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure Ken Skates has decided on the red route for the £200m-plus improvement project.

Both proposed routes for the A55/A494/A548 Deeside Corridor improvement were exhibited locally during March and a public consultation ended on June 5.

Carl Sargeant said:

“I’m delighted that the red route has been chosen. The Deeside Corridor is a vital route for businesses. The bottleneck on the A494 has been a problem for a long time and everyone is keen to see work start to get it sorted.

“My constituents will be pleased as so many of them, like me, had worries over the blue route. The blue route would have increased air pollution at points that are already busy. It would have turned minor roads into major routes, and there were concerns about increasing traffic past Ewloe Green Community Primary School.

“I feel the Cabinet Secretary has made the best decision as the red route delivers a full solution to the current problems with the Deeside Corridor. It will divert industrial and weekend/holiday traffic headed for the coast away from Deeside. It will also give people travelling to Deeside Industrial Estate from other areas an alternative route.

“I’m looking forward to seeing work get underway.”

The preferred route choice was just one announcement in a raft of proposals announced by Mr Skates to improve transport and access to jobs in Deeside.

Mr Sargeant said:

“The Cabinet Secretary showed today that the Welsh Government is absolutely committed to boosting transport links for the people who live and work in Deeside. He is putting the foundations in place to deliver on Welsh Labour’s North Wales metro pledge, and it’s good news for Deeside.

“If Shotton High and Low railway stations can somehow be combined this will be more convenient for train passengers.

“The new Deeside Parkway is a very exciting idea and will make it so much easier for people to access the high quality jobs we have on Deeside Industrial Park, be it by car, bus, rail or cycle.

“A further £4.7m investment in the Northern Gateway to help attract more companies and make it easier to get to the site is very welcome. I’m sure that before long this will result in even more highly-skilled jobs for our area.”