A busy road in Cardiff Bay that was closed for months has temporarily reopened to ease congestion in the city over the Christmas period.
Butetown counillor Helen Gunter told a Cardiff Council meeting last Thursday that some residents were upset and left “feeling trapped” by congestion in the area.
She claimed the issue has been made worse by the closure of Schooner Way and Hemingway Road.
The city council announced earlier this year that Hemingway Road and Schooner Way would close temporarily to allow a number of works to take place.
These include the installation of a new heat network across Cardiff, carrying out the groundwork for a new 15,000 capacity indoor arena and diverting a surface water sewer.
Cllr Gunter said: “Residents in the Atlantic Wharf area are upset and worried about the traffic congestion at the junction of Central Link and Tyndall Street and roads leading to Callaghan Square, making it difficult for them to exit and enter their homes in and around Schooner Way."
“This has been made worse by the closure of Schooner Way and Hemingway Road, raising concerns about effective access for emergency vehicles, and leaving some residents feeling trapped.”
The councillor asked the council’s cabinet member for climate change, strategic planning and transport, Cllr Dan De’Ath, to give residents reassurance on how these issues can be addressed with building work on the new indoor arena about to start soon.
Responding on behalf of Cllr De’Ath at the full council meeting, the leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, said he had good news for residents.
Cllr Thomas said: “I am pleased to be able to advise you and your ward colleagues, as well as local residents, that Hemingway Road will reopen for a limited period [from Friday, November 29th] to help ease the immediate congestion in the area during the Christmas period."
“The road closure will then be implemented again at the end of January to accommodate future construction work as enabling works for the arena project goes forward."
“We expect any congestion following the the Christmas period to reduce and looking ahead then to the works required for the wider Atlantic Wharf development and phase 1A of Cardiff Crossrail, further modification works to the road layout to assist local residents will be explored.”
Cllr Thomas confirmed that the city council will continue to monitor traffic in the area.
Cardiff Council worked with FOR Cardiff on launching the Pierhead Street park and ride service and is urging Christmas shoppers to use it instead of driving into the city centre.
The park and ride service, which started last Friday, allows people to enter and exit the city via the Link Road and will run for four weeks, operating from 9.30am to 5.30pm seven days a week.
Plans for the arena and square are part of a wider scheme that will see Atlantic Wharf redeveloped.
The Red Dragon Centre and the car park outside County Hall will make way for a new public square and the new indoor arena. There are also proposals for a hotel, new homes, offices and retail space.
It is hoped that the first phase of Cardiff Crossrail will play a key role in transporting people between Atlantic Wharf and the city centre.
The route will pass through Callaghan Square and run alongside the existing Cardiff Bay Line.
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