North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called for assurances from the First Minister that plans for a third Menai crossing will not be further delayed.
In 2007, a Welsh Government consultation identified eight options for easing traffic congestion crossing to and from Anglesey, including a new bridge.
Mr Isherwood is concerned that a decade later action has still not been taken to address the problem.
Raising the issue with the First Minister in the Assembly Chamber yesterday, he said:
“Clearly, congestion on the existing Menai and Britannia bridges has been a problem for many years. It’s a decade since a Welsh Government-commissioned report identified eight options, including a new bridge, but that didn’t go forward to delivery.
“You said last May that you would promise to make the third crossing your priority for North Wales if you form a Government and, of course, your Government announced before Christmas last year that it had appointed consultants to look at routes for a proposed new crossing to Anglesey, which could begin by 2021 if it gets the go-ahead.
“Can you provide an assurance that we’re not going to have a re-run of 2007 when we had similar assurances after a commissioned report was produced for the Welsh Government and that you envisage this going ahead on the basis of the situation remaining as it currently does?”
The First Minister, Carwyn Jones, told Mr Isherwood; “We have appointed Aecom to support our next phase of the development work. That will result in the announcement of a preferred route in May 2018. Our aim is to see the third Menai crossing open in 2022.”
Mr Isherwood added: “The people of North Wales have been waiting years for a third crossing. Congestion at peak times sees motorists taking 10 minutes to crawl a quarter of a mile, with jams greeting passengers coming off the ferry at Holyhead Port. We simply can’t afford further delays with this project - the third Menai crossing must be a priority.”