Fed-up residents in an Abergavenny village who claim their lives are being blighted by road noise have issued renewed calls for the A40 to be resurfaced.
Local people living in The Bryn and surrounding area want the concrete surface of the busy trunk road between Abergavenny and Raglan replaced with a quiet coating called whisper asphalt.
After an eight-year campaign supported by Monmouth MP David Davies, Nick Ramsay AM and Llanover Community Council, residents were given to understand that resurfacing of the A40 would take place subject to budget availability.
However, the Welsh Government has since said it only intends to install noise fencing on or within the highway boundary.
Nick Ramsay AM described the proposal as “less than adequate”.
“The erection of noise fencing or some form of sound barrier is totally wrong for the location in question and won’t protect all properties,” he said.
“Modern tarmac is clearly the long-term answer, although I appreciate this would require reconstruction of the entire carriageway and road drainage.
“The A40 is at the end of the life specified when it was built in 1981. I will therefore be pressing Transport Minister Edwina Hart for a timescale of its replacement.”
David Davies MP, who visited The Bryn with Mr Ramsay on Saturday morning (27 February) added: “I was struck by the noise as soon as I got out of my car.
“If the Welsh Government does proceed with fencing, I’m concerned that the main problem may be forgotten.
“I would certainly be interested to know how much whisper concrete costs per mile, as I’m not entirely convinced by the financial arguments being used by the Transport Minister to avoid resurfacing work."
*A petition has been launched by C Cllr Sara Jones calling on the Welsh Government to replace the old concrete surface on the A40 road from Raglan to Abergavenny with whispering tarmac. You can sign the petition here.