The Party of Wales Arfon Standing up for the people of Arfon

At the Assembly recently, Arfon’s Assembly Member Siân Gwenllian expressed her disappointment at the lack of progress in proposed improvements to the A470. The A470 is a key transport link which connects the north and the south of Wales.

In an exchange with the First Minister, Carwyn Jones, Siân Gwenllian said,

‘Anyone who regularly travels between north and south Wales knows that it’s not a pleasant experience to say the least.

Unfortunately, the most practical way of travelling across Wales for many people is by car, and there have been no significant improvements to the main road linking the north and south of our country since the days of Ieuan Wyn as Deputy First Minister ’.

The Assembly Member then challenged the Labour Government to set out more detailed proposals for the improvements,

‘What work is being done by your Government to analyse which improvements are needed to the A470 in order to improve this key transport route that connects our nation?

If the answer is ‘none’ or ‘not much’, will you commit to carrying out this a study that will also estimate the cost of any improvements required, in full?’

I am willing to bet that we are talking about a relatively small sum compared with the investment intended for the M4’.


The First Minister responded by noting the improvements made to the rail service, specifically the fact that it is now possible to get from the north to the south without changing at Shrewsbury. Carwyn Jones also mentioned the air service, which flies from Valley in Anglesey to the capital twice daily. He argued that significant improvements had been made to the A470 in recent years including the Cross Foxes area, near Dolgellau.

Following the exchange at the Assembly, a written question was sent by Siân Gwenllian to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, Ken Skates, pressing for more specific information on future plans. The response noted that a corridor study was underway to identify specific problematic areas. However no details of specific plans or timetables to complete any work were given.