WORK to reduce “horrendous” traffic congestion and improve safety on a main road in Llanelli is expected to start this summer.
The A484 Sandy Road links the town to Burry Port to the west and regularly gets clogged up, particularly the westbound carriageway.
Carmarthenshire Council published proposals last month to introduce a dedicated right-turn lane at the traffic light junction with Maes Y Coed, plus a new advanced stop line for cyclists and a controlled crossing on Maes Y Coed. It’s hoped the traffic will flow more freely, in turn improving air quality.
The council has just found out it’s been awarded £574,000 for this scheme by the Welsh Government, along with around £7.5 million for other transport-related projects in 2025-26.
Cllr Edward Thomas, cabinet member for transport, waste and infrastructure services, said feedback from a public consultation about the Sandy Road corridor plan would inform a final report being published in the coming weeks. A programme will also be drawn up for the work itself which, said Cllr Thomas, “we expect to coincide with the school summer holidays to minimise disruption.”
Cllrs Martyn Palfreman and Edward Skinner, who represent Llanelli’s Hengoed ward, welcomed the funding.
“We have worked tirelessly over the past three years with the council and its agents to secure resources for much-needed improvements along this stretch of Sandy Road,” said Cllr Palfreman. “We also lobbied the Welsh Government to provide funding for the agreed scheme, which will help alleviate the horrendous congestion experienced by residents and so many others in the Llanelli area on a daily basis.”
Cllr Skinner thanked residents for their input. “We have listened to specific concerns, notably loss of some parking along Sandy Road and are working with transport officers to mitigate this by providing alternative spaces nearby,” he said. “We also know that the agreed scheme is unlikely to solve all the current problems and we will continue to push for further improvements along the A484 corridor.”
Sandy Road resident Ray Jones, speaking in 2023, said: “In the daytime the traffic here is horrendous. There are two main roads coming out onto this stretch of Sandy Road and that adds to the traffic, because people are so fed up of being bumper to bumper all the time that they don’t let other people out.”
Concerns have also been expressed about drivers speeding on the road in the evenings and at night, along with calls for more enforcement.
Meanwhile, the council has received £2.05 million for a new interchange on land south of Llanelli railway station. Buses, coaches and taxis would move freely through it on a one-way system. Cars would enter from Copperworks Road and exit onto Station Road. Access for cyclists and walkers would be via Station Road, Copperworks Road, and Great Western Terrace.
The £2.05 million will fund the remaining detailed design and land acquisition requirements and the construction of the interchange. A planning application is due to be submitted to the council in the second quarter of this year.
The Welsh Government also awarded the authority £1.14 million for a replacement Black Bridge – between Pen-y-fan and Morfa in Llanelli – for cyclists and walkers.
In addition there was £1.5 million for road drainage improvements, £732,000 to design future cycling and walking routes, £712,305 for a safe routes in the communities scheme in Five Roads, £450,000 related to the 20mph default speed limit, £247,500 for new electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and various smaller-scale grants.
Ministers awarded Wales’s 22 councils £110 million for these transport schemes for 2025-26. Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, said: “These improvements will make real differences to everyday journeys – whether that’s safer routes, better paths for walking, wheeling and cycling, or more reliable bus services.”
