A BYPASS for Chepstow is the best long-term option to alleviate the town’s traffic problems, which if left unchecked will result in people avoiding the town Chepstow “like the plague,”, according to a pair of town and community councillors.

We reported last week that the Welsh Government was considering five options to alleviate traffic problems in and around Chepstow.

In a letter, minister Edwina Hart AM told the town’s Assembly Member, Nick Ramsay, that a new bypass was one option open to the Welsh Government.

Other possible measures that could be taken include restricting turning at the Bulwark junction; reviewing traffic signals at the junction by Chepstow’s Tesco supermarket; prohibiting lorries from driving over the Wye Bridge; or incorporating a toll system and altering the High Beech Roundabout.

Cllr David Dovey, member for St Kingsmark, told us: “The preferred option in my book would be a bypass for the town, that would be the best long-term solution. There would be a lot of opposition if they were to prohibit lorries from driving over the Wye Bridge as it used vigorously by the transport industry to the Forest of Dean.

“The main problem is the growth of houses, in particular in Lydney at the moment. There are plans for 300 houses on the land on the Tutshill side of the bridge; this is going to build on the problem of congestion. You only have to sit by the side of the road to see the sheer number of vehicles which go by.”

Cllr Armand Watts, member for Thornwell, said Chepstow was “ill-served” by the A48.

“We have hundreds of school children commuting over the bridge to Wyedean and a river which has the second highest tidal flow,” he said.

“My issue is that By allowing the building of a development of 180 houses at the Fairfield Mabey site, this will bring more traffic to that part of town. “We need to invest in infrastructure, the development at Fairfield will leave complete and utter chaos if a hamburger roundabout is put there - we will lose a proportion of Nelson car park. People are not going to be able to park to invest in the local trade.

“People are going to avoid Chepstow like the plague.”