THE long-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on traffic patterns should be considered before a decision is made about proceeding with the proposed 'Red Route' scheme, a petitions committee has said.

A report by the Senedd Petitions Committee, published on Tuesday (March 2), recommends that the Welsh Government looks carefully at whether the plans for A55/A494/A548 Deeside Corridor Improvement, the so called ‘Red Route’, should go ahead in light of the pandemic.

The ‘Red Route’ is a £250m scheme aiming to ease congestion problems along the A495 and A55 from Sealand to Northop.

Plans will see a new 13km two-lane dual carriageway, linking the A55-A5119 Northop Junction (Junction 33) with the A494 and A550 north of Deeside Parkway Junction, via Kelsterton Interchange and the Flintshire Bridge.

The petitions committee held an inquiry into the proposed road scheme after a petition with 1,409 signatures was presented to the Senedd in June 2019. The petition urged the Welsh Government to withdraw support for the proposed ‘Red Route’ stating, among its reasons, concerns about its impact on ancient woodland, the cost of the work and the need to tackle climate change.

In its report the committee calls for a detailed re-assessment of the costs of the scheme, future stages of the project to be assessed against updated transport guidance, design work to minimise the impact on ancient woodland, as well as the need to consider long-term changes to travel patterns and behaviour in light of Covid-19.

Chair of the Petitions Committee, Janet Finch-Saunders MS, said: "During the inquiry the committee heard strong arguments on both sides of this issue.

"Concerns were raised with us about the environmental impact of the proposed route, as well as arguments supporting the need for the new road in order to ease traffic congestion in the area and to support local jobs and the economy.

"What nobody could foresee at the beginning of our investigations was the Covid-19 pandemic, and the impact it would have on the way we live our lives.

“Having considered the evidence, the committee has concluded that it would be prudent for the Welsh Government to consider the longer-term impact of the pandemic on work and travel patterns, before it commits to further detailed design work and a final decision on whether or not the new road should be built.

“We have a made a number of other recommendations around the appraisal of the scheme, its costs and detailed design. We have done so in the acknowledgement that the forthcoming Senedd election means that further decisions will be taken by a future Welsh Government and any further scrutiny that may be required will be undertaken by the next Senedd.”

The committee report makes the following recommendations:

  • That detailed design work and further impact assessments in relation to the proposed scheme do not take place until the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on traffic patterns has been fully assessed. This evidence should be available for consideration as part of any public inquiry the proposed scheme is subject to.
  • The Welsh Government should ensure that any road scheme which is implemented is part of a wider package of public transport improvements in the area and that schemes such as the North Wales Metro are delivered effectively.
  • The Welsh Government must ensure that adequate consultation is undertaken with organisations including the Woodland Trust and Natural Resources Wales during the detailed design stage of the scheme to mitigate and minimise any impacts on areas of ancient woodland.
  • Any public inquiry held following the publication of the draft Orders should be highly publicised and accessible to all residents in areas which may be affected by the route or construction of any new road.

Professor Tom Rippeth, chair of STAMP, the group leading the opposition to the Red Route, said: "As the petitioners, we thank the committee for their hard work in the past 21 months in scrutinising the processes leading to the Red Route decision and we broadly welcome their recommendations.

"Clearly the Covid pandemic is a game changer, particularly with the Welsh Government policy rightly aiming to facilitate more home working in post-Covid Wales. Our calculations show that the impact of this policy we see a bigger reduction in commuter traffic in the Deeside Corridor than the £300 million Red Route is designed to achieve."

"However, the committee has also highlighted further significant concerns over processes applied in reaching the Red Route decision. Moreover they have highlighted significant additional costs associated with the need to upgrade the Flintshire Bridge and the additional 'Red Route Plus' work demanded by Flintshire County Council in exchange for support for the scheme.

"We have already seen a spiralling in costs of the scheme from £210 million in 2017 to over £300m last, with all of these additional costs it is easy to imagine the final constructions being being double those originally envisage, which couple with the Covid related fall in commuter traffic suggests it will no longer be value for money.

"In looking in detail at the failings in costing this scheme it is easy to see why the Welsh Government has hit problems of spiralling costs in other road schemes such as the current Heads of the Valleys Section 2 scheme.

"We hope that all candidates in the upcoming Senedd elections will read this report and, if elected, ensure that its recommendations are carried out."

The report will now be considered by the Welsh Government.