In the summer we shared our proposals to install a series of traffic management measures in Minffordd.  These will be put in place prior to establishing one of the project’s main construction compounds on land adjacent to the back road to Minffordd near Quarry Lane.

We have since consulted with local people, including at our drop-in events, as well as directly with a number of key stakeholders, including local councillors and the highways team at Gwynedd Council, Penrhyndeudraeth Town Council, the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency (NMWTRA), and Sustrans.

We wanted to provide a short recap of our approach to introducing traffic management, together with an update on how this has changed since we shared our original proposals.

Where will construction traffic be going?

• Construction traffic will access the site from the Minffordd roundabout on the A487. It will then travel along the High Street (A497), continuing past the top of Quarry Lane, before taking the next right turn down the back road to Minffordd to reach the construction compound. When leaving the construction compound, construction traffic will turn right out of the site, ensuring no construction traffic uses Quarry Lane.

What traffic management and safety measures will be introduced?

• With an increase in traffic along the back road, we are proposing to restrict access along this section from the junction with the A497 to our construction compound. This would maintain access for local residents, any visitors or deliveries to their properties and for emergency vehicles but would restrict access for any other through traffic. Access to Quarry Lane and the properties close by would be unaffected for traffic approaching from the east.
• The restricted road will be controlled in the narrow sections via traffic lights or manually controlled. Traffic marshals and a welfare cabin will be installed at or near the A497 junction.  The traffic management measures will remain in place at all times, although will not be manned by staff during evenings and weekends.
• Three-way part time traffic signals will operate as required on the A497 junction to assist lorries into and out of the back road, and a section of the existing 40mph speed limit on the A497 would be reduced to an advisory speed limit of 20mph. Please note that we envisage that for most of the time only the traffic lights on the back lane will be in operation leaving the A497 unaffected. The additional lights on the A497 will only be used to manage traffic when larger vehicles or a large number of vehicles require access to the site. The lights on the A497 will not be in operation when the traffic management begins in 2023 and we will ensure that local people and relevant authorities are informed when we plan to use them.
• A 20mph advisory speed limit would also be put in place between this junction and the construction compound. The rear pedestrian access to the mynwent Minffordd (Minffordd cemetery) will be temporarily closed until construction work is completed, although the cemetery itself will remain open.

What changes have you made following consultation with stakeholders?

• We had previously considered diverting cyclists using National Cycle Route (NCR) 8, which runs along the back road, along the A497 and A487 between Britannia Terrace in Minffordd and Penrhyndeudraeth. However, following consultation with local residents and stakeholders including Sustrans, we will not be diverting cyclists from using current NCR 8. Instead we will be carefully and safely managing cycle traffic along the route during construction, ensuring that it remains clear, clean and tidy. Pedestrians will also be able to use the route.

Get in touch with us

These traffic management plans have been carefully considered and developed to minimise disruption during construction while we transform the landscape. 

Subject to final confirmation from Gwynedd Council, we are expecting to put these measures in place from mid February 2023 until December 2026. After December 2026 there will be a shorter period of work required to remove the pylons, and as our plans for these works progress, we’ll keep you up to date.

Full details of our plans are available here.

Please submit any comments by 14 January 2023. To get in touch with the VIP project team, you can email us at [email protected] or call us on 0800 019 1898 (and leaving a message if prompted).