Planned route of city's relief road

On Monday the Argus exclusively revealed that the proposed road would skirt Newport rather than cut through a swathe of the Gwent Levels.

Yesterday, the Assembly confirmed this new route is being proposed in response to the concerns of environmental protesters.

The new route means the road avoids the Gwent Levels east of Pye Corner and instead runs through land inside the old Llanwern steelworks boundary.

It also skirts closer to the city west of Duffryn, reducing the area of Wentlooge Levels lost to the road.

The route would see a major bridge over the River Usk - proposed to be 450 metres long, just six metres shorter than the Second Severn Crossing. One of the proposals is for a cable structure similar to that bridge.

Andrew Davies, Assembly transport minister, said: "These changes offer a clear benefit to the environment by taking the route northwards and where possible onto land previously of industrial use, thereby reducing its impact on the Gwent Levels including the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)."

The new route was made possible by the closure of the second half of the Llanwern steelworks.

This means the brownfield site land could be used for the new motorway instead of the road slicing through an SSSI.

But Gwent Wildlife Trust's chief executive Julian Branscombe said despite any change of route there is still likely to be major opposition to the toll road.

He said it would still be damaging to the SSSI which goes right up to the city boundary.

The changes will be shown at a series of public exhibitions to start at the end of the month.

Work on the road between Magor and Castleton is due to start in 2010. After the exhibitions, funding will be investigated and draft orders for the road's design will be published.

If necessary, a public local inquiry will be held in 2009. An independent inspector will then make a recommendation on the project, although the final decision remains with the Assembly.

For route see tonight's Argus