THERE are fresh calls for a new M48 junction as engineers estimate £20 million must be spent on the Old Severn bridge in the next two years.

Plaid Cymru parliamentary candidate for Monmouth, Jonathan Clark, has called for a new junction linking the M48 with the B4245 and direct access onto the New Severn Bridge from the M48 to ease traffic congestion at Magor.

Mr Clark said a new junction would help to relieve a major traffic bottleneck and reduce traffic between Caldicot and Magor.

He said the link would anticipate any potential longer-term problems which may be caused by ever increasing maintenance costs of the old Severn Bridge.

Mr Clark said the Highways Agency spent £3 million investigating the corrosion levels of the bridge’s main cable suspensions.

Engineers discovered the Old Severn Bridge is in a worse condition than previously thought with estimates of £20m having to be spent on the bridge in the next two years, according to a Department of Transport report.

Mr Clark said the Old Severn Bridge is already closed on certain weekends for maintenance and said a replacement bridge would take time and be very expensive.

But he stressed something needs to be done and wants the first step to be a feasibility study.

MP for Monmouth, David Davies, said the junction is something he has called for.

He said the National Assembly were asked if they would support this idea and they made it clear they were not going to.

Mr Davies said Mr Clark ought to be demanding Plaid Cymru Minister for Transport Ieuan Wyn Jones to enact on his demands.

Labour councillor for Dewstow, Tony Easson, said the link to the B4245 is important and is something they have been pushing for a long time.

He said traffic travelling from Portskewett to Newport is a ‘total jam’ in the mornings.

He said the idea would relieve pressure off Magor and the heavy traffic which travels through Caldicot.

Cllr Easson said a new junction could be included in the planned scheme for a new motorway relief road around Newport.

He acknowledged this will be difficult in the current economic situation but said they need to be ready for when the economic upturn comes.

Liberal Democrat councillor for Rogiet, Linda Guppy, said the B4245 is an exceptionally busy road.

She said anything to relieve the amount of heavy traffic between the villages would be beneficial to residents of the whole area.