Hereford Bypass review delayed until September

A council review into the proposed Hereford bypass and southern link road will be published two months later due than expected due to coronavirus.

Transport and infrastructure chief John Harrington decided to pause and review the Hereford Transport and South Wye Transport packages after Herefordshire Independent, Green Party and It’s Our County councillors formed coalition administration last year.

In January, council leaders commissioned the review to cost no more than £451,000 and set a deadline of July 2020.

But the impact the pandemic has had on the county has affected the review’s progress.

Infrastructure and transport cabinet member John Harrington said: “Good progress has been made on all elements of the Hereford Transport Strategy Review, however the Covid-19 restrictions have meant that some areas of work have taken more time than we had originally planned.

“We need to ensure any major transport schemes have a positive impact on the county to address travel issues, such as congestion and air quality, and are consistent with the council’s overall response to climate emergency as these schemes have a permanent impact upon the environment which last for generations to come.

“We have taken a little more time to engage with our stakeholders and to fully and carefully consider all of the available options.

“This will ensure that we have a good, sensible, range of options for further assessment, to help inform the development of our future strategy.

“While I had estimated that the review would be completed by end of July, due to the additional time required it will now conclude at the end of September when we will consider our recommendations and next steps.”