THE A490 main road between Guilsfield and Welshpool is set to re-open on Thursday, November 6.
This follows fruitful discussions between Powys County Council and water firm Hafren Dyfrdwy and their contractors to re-open the road as fast as possible.
In recent days the residents of Guilsfield and other villages and hamlets to the north of Welshpool have faced travel chaos due to the road closure.
This has been compounded by other road works taking place as well as the closure of the B4393 road at Llandrinio bridge after the structure was damaged last week.
The A490 has been the subject of ongoing roadworks near the former Brookland golf course between Guilsfield and Welshpool since the beginning of September.
But on October 27, the section of road was fully closed to allow Hafren Dyfrdwy to intensify work to maintain and replace water pipes in that area.
The closure was supposed to be in place until December 12.
In recent days exasperated residents have taken to social media to complain about the inconvenience of the closure which has put many miles and extra time on journeys to and from Welshpool..
Posts have been shared on social media of lorries becoming stuck on small rural roads as well as drone footage showing some drivers flouting the road closure and driving the closed section between Welshpool and Guilsfield.
A spokesman for Powys County Council said: “We are aware of the disruption caused by the ongoing closure of the A490 between Welshpool and Guilsfield and are working closely with Hafren Dyfrdwy to ensure the works are completed as quickly and safely as possible.”
The council has asked the contractor to look at option to re-open the road quicker than expected but this will be down the feasibility of traffic management arrangements currently under review.
The council spokesman stressed: “We want to remind all road users to respect the closure and follow the official diversion routes.
“Ignoring the closure risks public safety and may delay the completion of the works.
A spokesman for Hafren Dyfrdwy said: “Following discussions with the local council, we will be reopening the road on November 6 and completing the remainder of our works with two-way traffic lights.
“We understand that works like these and road closures are an inconvenience, and we want to thank everyone for their patience while the road closure has been in place and as our work continues.”
He added that “accelerated progress” had been made during the complete road closure period.
Hafren Dyfrdwy has said that £690,000 is being invested as part of the works to upgrade the water network and a total of 1.5 kilometres of new water pipe is being installed to address ongoing leaks and bursts that have been happening in the area.
