ROCK falls and subsidence will see the A466 Wye Valley road closed for the next seven weeks for repair works.

Drivers should also expect delays in Chepstow on the A48 this week as part of a £1m gas pipe upgrade, with rush hour traffic queuing back onto the old Severn Bridge.

Two sets of traffic lights have been in place for several weeks on the A466 between St Arvans and Tintern due to rock falls and unstable ground.

And work started this week just south of the old Livox Quarry to remove trees from the rock slope, followed by scaling and rock removal work.  

A Monmouthshire council spokesman said: “We have obtained the necessary ecology data and protected species licences to carry out the repairs, and the works involve a full road closure.”

Similar work will be undertaken at Wyndcliffe in October, also requiring a full road closure.

Signs at Chepstow and Monmouth will direct through traffic via the B4293 Trellech/Devauden road, while Tintern can be accessed via Trellech Road and Bargains Wood Road.

Meanwhile, a £1m gas pipe investment by Wales and West Utilities has begun in Chepstow, upgrading 8.5km of old metal pipes to new plastic ones on the A48 Hardwick Hill and adjacent roads.

It will also involve upgrading individual supply pipes to more than 700 homes and is set to take 18 months to complete.

Two-way traffic lights are operating until Sunday, February 25, on the junction of Hardwick Hill and Mount Pleasant, while Bulwark Road is closed at the junction of Mount Pleasant through to Old Bulwark Road.