Money was wasted on M4 relief road, First Minister admits

Wales' First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has said money was "wasted" on the M4 relief road. The Plaid Cymru leader, who took over from Labour a month ago, was asked about his comments that a new road was needed to ease congestion on the M4 at the Brynglas tunnels. During the election campaign the Plaid leader said he thought a solution was needed. He reiterated those comments after his election. Mr ap Iorwerth said previous Labour administrations had "wasted" £150m on plans for the scheme, only to scrap it. Answering a question from Conservative group leader Darren Millar, Mr ap Iorwerth said: "The Brynglas tunnels are a well-known bottleneck and an economic constraint for Wales, and it's clear that action is needed to address congestion on the M4. "Money was wasted, I must say, in getting to a place where nothing has happened in recent years, and this government is already doing the work to identify the solutions that will be effective, and economically and environmentally responsible, in order that we can deliver long-term benefits socially and economically for the people of, yes, the south-east of Wales and the Brynglas areas, but we know that it's much wider than that too. "But that doesn't take away from the work that also happens to improve infrastructure and improving public transport and so on." For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . He was also asked about a third Menai crossing given recent chaos with repeated closures. Mr Millar asked him: "First Minister, can you tell us what action your Government is going to take to deal with the repeated chaos as a result of the frequent closure of the Menai suspension bridge." Mr ap Iorwerth replied: "People in Ynys Môn have been let down for too long when it comes to the resilience of the Menai crossings. It is unacceptable that we have been in this position where deadlines have been missed time and time again, and where work to fix a bridge that could and should have been done a long time ago is still dragging on year after year. "Where previous governments refused to see this problem as a priority, this new Welsh Government will act with greater urgency and focus. "I've committed to renewing the process of developing solutions to improve the resilience of transport links across the Menai strait. That's why we have already begun work within government with a view to ensuring short-term measures around the Menai crossing, and long-term solutions for resilience across the Menai Strait and yes, the third crossing is a part of those considerations. "But let me remind you of this: it's not a structure that we need; it's an answer. Let's get the answer and move there quickly." The full rundown of Rhun ap Iorwerth's first First Minister's Questions can be read here.