TRAFFIC noise on the A40 is to be hushed by a new £11 million resurfacing contract which was due to start today.

The 80-week project will see the concrete A40 between Raglan and Mitchel Troy covered in a new bitumen-based surface which will be much quieter.

Work on reconstructing the 6.7km section of the dual carriageway will mean a 50mph speed limit enforced by speed cameras which will be imposed for vehicles travelling past the works. A contraflow system will be used.

"Every attempt will be made to minimise the effect of traffic delays," said a National Assembly spokesman.

The contract, awarded to John Mowlem and Co, will also see a new noise reducing layer of bituminous surface laid on the section of the A449 between Usk and Raglan. That road was reconstructed with a brushed concrete finish in 1994, before noise levels were taken into account as a matter of course.

This is the first work based on a report looking at ways of reducing noise on Wales' trunk roads.

The Assembly government has set aside £1 million a year to deal with the problem in the hope it will make what Assembly Transport Minister Sue Essex describes as "a significant contribution to reducing traffic noise and improving the quality of life for those most affected".

The report looked at ways of reducing noise levels on a number of Gwent highways, including the A40, A449 and the M4.