Renewed calls for M4 relief road as FM pledges ‘roads based’ solution

Emily Price

Renewed calls have been made for an M4 relief road after Wales’ new First Minister pledged to pursue a “roads-based” solution to congestion.

Rhun ap Iorwerth told BBC Walescast on Thursday (May 28) that the Brynglas Tunnels in Newport are an “economic problem for Wales”.

However, the new Plaid FM did not commit to a specific scheme to relieve traffic on the M4 Corridor around Newport, also known as the “black route”.

Speaking at the Urdd Eisteddfod on Anglesey, ap Iorwerth said that something needed to be done to “unclog that Brynglas bottleneck”.

“We remain against that black route as it was called, which was unnecessary,” he said, adding that a “road-based solution” was still needed alongside new railway stations between Cardiff and the Severn Tunnel.

The First Minister said options could include upgrading an existing dual carriageway through the south of Newport.

“What we need to do is do the work, and we will, to find the solutions,” he said.

Welsh Labour accused ap Iorwerth of making an “unfunded transport promise”.

The 14-mile stretch of road proposed by the previous Labour government was designed to bypass traffic congestion on Wales’ busiest road south of Newport by building a new motorway on the Gwent Levels.

But the six-lane scheme was axed in June 2019 by then-First Minister Mark Drakeford – a highly controversial decision given over £100m had been spent on the project already.

The cost of the project had ballooned to over £1.6 billion and Drakeford ruled the road would cause irreversible damage to the protected wildlife and habitats of the Gwent Levels nature reserve.

It followed a public inquiry overseen by former planning inspector Bill Wadrup, who concluded that a scheme from Junction 23 to Junction 29 was in the public interest and that environmental objections were overstated.

In June 2025, the Welsh Conservatives tabled a motion that the party hoped with revive the project.

However, Plaid Cymru and Welsh Labour teamed up to vote the motion down.

The Tories in the Senedd say that “after decades of promises to tackle congestion on the M4” motorists and businesses are still waiting “to see meaningful action and results”.

Shadow Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, Janet Finch-Saunders said: “The Brynglas Tunnels are among the most congested stretches of road anywhere in the United Kingdom.

“The previous Labour Government, backed by Plaid Cymru at the time, scrapped the M4 relief road after spending £157 million of taxpayers’ money on planning its delivery.

“Vague words about finding a ‘roads-based solution’ are not enough. We now need a clear commitment from the First Minister to deliver an M4 Relief Road and other vital infrastructure needed to grow the Welsh economy and ease pressure on motorists.”

Local Welsh Conservative Member of the Senedd for Newport and Islwyn, Natasha Asghar said: “For decades, we have seen broken promise after broken promise when it comes to congestion on the M4.

“The First Minister must now deliver for the people of Newport and Islwyn, warm words alone are not enough.

“If Plaid Cymru is serious about tackling traffic problems in South East Wales, it must commit to delivering an M4 relief road to ease pressure on drivers, attract investment and boost the economy.”