THE eagerly awaited road safety study for a longstanding accident blackspot on the A40 at Raglan is nearing completion and will be finalised by spring, local MP David Davies has confirmed.

Significant community concerns have been raised for years over the “dangerous” junctions crossing the Raglan stretch of the busy dual carriageway.

One of those is between Monmouth Road and Groesenon Road – known as the Dingestow junction – and another is where pedestrians cross to visit Raglan Castle.

Residents have also made repeated pleas for the speed limit to be reduced from 70mph to 50mph after a spate of severe collisions and near-misses.

In June 2022, Raglan Community Council came together with officials from Monmouthshire County Council and Welsh Government to discuss potential solutions ahead of a planned safety study.

Monmouth MP Mr Davies, who attended alongside his Senedd colleague Peter Fox MS, has kept up the pressure on ministers in Cardiff Bay to “deliver action instead of words” following that meeting.

He has now received an update from Climate Change Minister Julie James with welcome news.

In a letter to Mr Davies, she said: “The safety study for the A40/Monmouth Road junction is nearing completion and will be reviewed by officials and finalised by the end of the financial year.

“We are also implementing a temporary 50mph speed limit between the A449 and the A40 Raglan Roundabout. Once the safety study is complete, we will discuss with the local authority, as well as engaging with local residents and key stakeholders.”

Mr Davies said he was looking forward to “making progress” on addressing the “longstanding accident blackspot”.

“There have been calls for effective and permanent measures to tackle persistent dangers on the A40 at Raglan for many years and despite hollow promises from the Welsh Government, we might finally be getting somewhere,” he said.

“The temporary 50mph speed limit is a welcome step forward and should have been implemented much sooner. Nevertheless, I await the outcome of the safety review with interest to see what recommendations there are to remove the dangers associated with this stretch of road.

“I commend Raglan ward member Cllr Penny Jones, Mitchel Troy ward members Cllr Richard John and Cllr Jayne McKenna, Peter Fox MS and community councillors in Raglan and Mitchel Troy for fighting on behalf of residents and getting officials to – hopefully – grasp the seriousness of the situation. Time will tell and I trust there will be further good news to come.”