A Welsh Conservative AM has uncovered the true extent of closures on the A55.
Responding to a Written Assembly Question (WAQ75998) by Aberconwy AM, Janet Finch-Saunders, the Welsh Labour Government revealed that sections of the A55 had been closed on a staggering 55 occasions in 12 months.
The figures account for all closures over one hour, adding up to a total of 2720 hours since February 2017.
Commenting on the closures, Mrs Finch-Saunders said:
“These figures lay bare the cost of Labour’s failure to get to grips with upgrades to the A55.
“Despite the Cabinet Secretary’s promises, the A55 was closed for 2720 hours in the last 12 months.
“This is an essential trunk road for businesses, freight and holiday-makers across the north, who’ve been let down time and time again.
“Congestion costs the North Wales economy tens of millions of pounds each year, and the A55 is one of the primary causes of gridlock on our roads.
“Some of these closures would have related to road upgrades, but it’s frustrating that this is still happening every day.”
Notes to Editors:
See attached Written Assembly Question detailing each individual closure of over an hour.
FOR ANSWER BY
THE CABINET SECRETARY FOR ECONOMY AND TRANSPORT
ON 26 FEBRUARY 2018
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm how many times the A55 was closed in the past year, and provide a breakdown of the reasons for these closures? WAQ75998
Ken Skates: Sections of the A55 have been closed 55 times since February 2017 for one hour or longer. This includes the DBFO section which runs from junction 1, Holyhead to junction 11, Llandygai. A full breakdown can be seen below.
In addition, very short term closures of 20 minutes or less take place, as required, to allow recovery of vehicles, temporary repairs, debris collection, rounding up of stray animals and so on.
Photo credit: Victor Bezurov, Flickr