A £5.95 million scheme to improve safety on the A487 Llanrhystud is a “priority” due to “risky” overtaking from cars in both directions, and cars “speeding through the village.”
The proposed plans, which will see a new roundabout installed on the outskirts of the village, with an extra lane for a section of the stretch of road between Llanrhystud and Llanon, is one of two schemes for the main coastal road.
The other, a £17.4m scheme outside Aberarth, would see the construction of two climbing lane sections to provide overtaking opportunities.
At Llanrhystud, it is proposed to introduce a new three-arm roundabout, alongside a Differential Acceleration Lane (DAL) in the southbound direction along the A487 towards Aberaeron.
“This would provide 250 metres of formal overtaking opportunity via an extra lane for southbound drivers to safely pass slower moving vehicles,” the consultation document says.
The A487 at Llanrhystud “has been identified as one of the priority schemes within the programme”, the Welsh Government said.
“Slow-moving vehicles on this part of the network can cause driver frustration,” a consultation report outlines.
“The straight road alignment encourages informal overtaking in both directions, which can be risky due to visibility issues, such as hidden private accesses onto the trunk road and dips in the road to the south.”
The section of the A487 has experienced 20 collisions within the last five years, including six which were a result of vehicles trying to overtake slower moving vehicles.
The report found that there was a “lack of natural traffic-calming on approach to the village”, which “encourages speeding vehicles through the village.”
Along the length of the scheme, it is proposed to introduce a new shared use footpath and cycleway as part of the Active Travel Wales initiative to improve links for non-motorised users.
The scheme is aimed at improving journey times between Aberystwyth and Aberaeron, although disruption is “likely” during the building phase, they warned.
The plans will also improve access to two of the village’s caravan parks, Morfa Farm and Pengarreg, which will be signposted off the junctions of the new roundabout.
The scheme will “reduce the speed of vehicles entering village, as they will be slowed down at the roundabout, improving safety for all within the village.”
New drainage and road surfaces will be installed, along with a footpath.
The consultation, which runs until 9 April, is available at gov.wales/a487-llanrhystud-safety-scheme