MOTORISTS heading out of the Forest towards Chepstow could potentially face months more of delays because the completion of roadworks has been put back.

The 200-year-old Wye Bridge was closed to traffic back in May for crucial maintenance work and was due to have reopened this week.

Many motorists believe the roadworks have had a knock-on effect causing queues of up to three miles and causing morning peak gridlock outside Wyedean School and Offa’s Mead Academy in Sedbury.

The contractors carrying out the work for Monmouthshire County Council have said the works could now take until early December because it took longer to erect scaffolding and the recent poor run of weather has delayed repainting.

A council spokesman said: “The original works programme had a completion date of the first week of September and, while works are now well underway, we have experienced some delays with certain items of work taking much longer than expected.

“The contractor has submitted a revised programme with a completion date identified as early December which unfortunately is much later than anticipated.

“We have asked the contractor to look into ways of shortening this but given his experience on these works over the last couple of months he believes that this is a realistic timescale.

“We accept that this may not be welcome news for some but these works have not been particularly straightforward and are essential for the long-term stability of this historic structure, especially ahead of the bicentennial celebrations for the bridge next year.”

There have been fewer delays during the summer holidays but there is concern that the return to school could lead to problems again.

Although the problems started after the closure of the bridge, there is a suspicion on the Gloucestershire side that the root cause of the congestion is actually a change in the phasing of the traffic at the Station Road junction in Chepstow to solve a problem further along the A48.

Peak hour congestion on Hardwick Hill in Chepstow has led to the area failing European Union regulations on air quality for several years.

Cllr Patrick Molyneux, the Gloucestershire county councillor for Sedbury, said: “What may have happened is that they have re-phased the lights to help reduce air pollution in Chepstow.

“What that has done is put the congestion back onto the Gloucestershire side.

“That is not a long-term solution and we need to work on that.”

Cllr Molyneux is heading a task group of county councillors looking at access issues around the Forest and will meet with the Highways Agency later this month.

The South East Wales Trunk Road Agency is responsible for the A48 through Chepstow. The Review contacted the agency for a response but had not received one before it went to press.

•A series of public exhibitions on the Welsh Assembly Government’s plans for a new three-lane motorway around Newport are to be held this month.

The consultation team will be at Ebenezer Chapel, The Square, Magor on Wednesday, September 16 and Thursday, September 17 between 11am and 7pm.