P-05-690 Resurfacing of the A40 Raglan-Abergavenny Road – Correspondence from the Petitioner to the Committee, 15.05.17

Hi Kayleigh

Please could the committee read the attached letter from 3 November 2014 which commits to resurfacing of the A40 and suggests a scheme is being designed up.  I therefore would ask that the Minister confirms the commitment that the noise mitigation he references includes re-surfacing.

Furthermore -

The Welsh Government conducted a consultation in 2012 to identify priority areas under the Noise Action Plan. The following excerpt is taken from the 2013-18 Plan.

Road traffic noise is highly dependent on the nature of the road surface, particularly at high speeds, and concrete is the noisiest surface to be found nowadays on the Welsh trunk road network. There are three stretches of concrete trunk road remaining in Wales:

 the A465 between the Aberdulais interchange and Cwmgwrach roundabout;  the A40 between Raglan and Abergavenny; and  the A4232 between Culverhouse Cross and Junction 33 of the M4.

In 2013 the South Wales Trunk Road Agent commissioned noise assessments for all three remaining stretches of concrete trunk road. The measurements taken showed elevated noise levels along all three roads. In addition, the 2012 noise mapping has flagged parts of the concrete A465 and A4232 as candidate priority areas, and fourteen responses to the consultation on this plan concerned excessive noise from the concrete A40, including from residents of three different villages and the managing director of a residential home. All fourteen strongly advocated an improved road surface.

In light of the consultation responses and the measurements taken, all the residential properties situated along the three concrete stretches of trunk road will be listed as priority areas under this action plan.

We call for a commitment to resurfacing as part of any noise mitigation and that the priorities identified in the plan be met. There are only three concrete trunk roads remaining in Wales, we ask that as part of noise mitigation measures the WG bring forward resurfacing as a priority – as identified by the many consultation responses received. 

We fail to understand why a further noise survey is being carried out when the existing commitments under the current action plan have yet to be met.

The road noise has got progressively worse over the past year and affects all the communities alongside the A40, not just The Bryn.

The only solution is for full resurfacing of the A40 from Raglan to Abergavenny.

This has been an nine year campaign – we have been led to believe that resurfacing would take place.  

Regards

Sara