M4 relief road must be built as quickly as possible, says council leader

THE leader of Cardiff council has called for the controversial M4 relief road to be built “as quickly as possible”.

Huw Thomas warned that it was unacceptable that, unlike other key UK cities like Bristol, motorway access to the Welsh capital is hampered by the twolane section around the Brynglas Tunnels.

A public inquiry into an M4 Relief Road in South Wales is expected to conclude this summer.

The Welsh Government’s preferred option is a proposed £1bnplus new route running south of Newport.

But the proposal has been beset by debate around environmental impact and rising costs.

Cllr Thomas said yesterday: “My view on the M4 Relief Road is that it is categorically needed.

“I cannot accept a situation where Cardiff does not have the same access to a six-lane motorway that Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds have.

“We need to get it built and as quickly as possible.”

The ambitious young councillor, who became leader of the biggest local authority in Wales last May at the age of 31, heads Cardiff council at a time when transport issues dominate the city’s agenda.

The long-delayed new bus station, the South Wales Metro public transport scheme and radical proposals to tackle the capitals pollution problem have all hit the headlines in recent months.

Cllr Thomas, speaking at a meeting of Cardiff Breakfast Club yesterday, urged the Department for Transport to confirm funding for a much-needed upgrade of Cardiff Central Railway Station.

The upgrade is needed to cope with the projected huge rise in passenger numbers. This is as a result of higher frequency and capacity from electrification of the core Valley Lines into Cardiff, which is expected to be completed in its entirety by 2023.

Meanwhile, following a funding deal for a new bus station at Central Square, as revealed in Saturday’s Echo, Cllr Thomas confirmed work will start on the project next month.

He said: “We always said that a new bus station needs to be part of a comprehensive transport interchange covering the whole site. And that is why I am delighted that the city region has also agreed in principle £40m of public money [City Deal funding] into our Metro Central project, which is the redevelopment of Cardiff Central train station.