New milestone for M4 project team

The Costain Vinci joint venture which is progressing the M4 Corridor around Newport has successfully completed an important stage of the project with the publication of the draft statutory orders.

The project involves the proposed construction of a new 23km section of three-lane motorway to the south of Newport, between Magor and Castleton.

The new section of motorway will cross the northern part of the Gwent levels, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), pass over the Newport Docks and the southern boundaries of the Docks Way landfill site and the former Llanwern Steelworks site. In addition, an elevated section would cross the River Usk with a new 440m span cable-stayed bridge.

This month (March) staged publication of the draft statutory orders by the Welsh Government will commence and precede three weeks of public exhibitions at five locations from Magor (J23) to Castleton (J29) on the outskirts of Cardiff.

Barry Woodman, project director for Costain Vinci, said: “There has been a concerted effort by the integrated team to deliver the draft statutory orders and environmental statement within really tight time constraints. We now look forward to the exhibitions and providing the public and key stakeholders with as much information, support and general understanding of the project as we can.”

Martin Bates, project director for the Welsh government, added: “The process for procuring, designing and delivering a project of this size and complexity is extremely demanding and I am really pleased that we have achieved this significant milestone. There are a number of hurdles still to negotiate but the proposals are progressing in line with our challenging programme and I am extremely grateful to the team for the outstanding effort.”