Bottleneck ‘breaker’ at notorious Carmarthenshire Road

Motorists using one of the busiest stretches of road in Carmarthenshire can look forward to less stressful journeys thanks to an improvement scheme which should be in place by the summer.

Funded as part of a £110 million fund announced by Welsh Government to improve local transport across Wales, the £574,000 scheme form part of wider improvements along the A484 Sandy Road corridor in Llanelli. Enhancements to the notorious Sandy Road/ Maesycoed junction in the town will include a new right-turn filter lane improving the flow of traffic turning into the Parc y Strade housing estate, meaning less tailbacks on the A484 from the Llanelli direction and significantly improving traffic flow.

Confirmation of the works comes after extensive engagement with local residents and sustained lobbying by County Councillors for the Hengoed Ward Martyn Palfreman and Edward Skinner, who welcomed the Welsh Government’s announcement.

The funding will also allow investigation into the feasibility of further improvements in the area, including potential changes to the existing roundabout at the junction of Sandy Road and Denham Avenue.

Cllr Palfreman said: ‘We have worked tirelessly over the past 3 years with the County Council and its agents to secure resources for much-needed improvements along this stretch of Sandy Road. We also lobbied Welsh Government to provide funding for the agreed scheme, which will help alleviate the horrendous congestion experienced by local residents and so many others in the Llanelli area on a daily basis. We are delighted that this funding has now been forthcoming and are confident that the changes to the Maesycoed junction will deliver significant improvements. However, we will closely monitor the impact of the scheme once it is in place to ensure this is the case.’

Cllr Skinner added ‘We are grateful for the many residents who have taken the time to comment on the proposals over recent weeks. We have listened to specific concerns, notably loss of some parking along Sandy Road and are actively working with transport officers to mitigate this by providing alternative spaces nearby. We also know that the agreed scheme is unlikely to solve all the current problems and we will continue to push for further improvements along the A484 corridor. We will also ensure people are given further opportunities to feed into any future proposals.’