23 April 2010
A key section of a new cycle and walking path - Connect2
- that will link Newport in South Wales to the historic town of
Caerleon four miles away, has been officially opened by Newport
City Council, the Welsh Assembly Government, and Sustrans, the UK's
leading sustainable transport charity.
The Pillmawr Road to Home Farm route is the largest section of
cycle/pedestrian path in a wider project that will connect Newport
to Caerleon through a direct, virtually flat route via a riverside
boardwalk. When finished it will link Caerleon to Newport city
centre and provide vital connections with the city’s university
campuses, Newport railway station and safe routes to several
schools.
Dave Price from Capita Symonds’ Cwmbran Office is responsible
for the development and design of the whole Connect2 route
including complex land negotiations and liaison with statutory
bodies such as the Environment Agency, The Countryside Council for
Wales and CADW, the historic environment service of the Welsh
Assembly Government.
The project faces a number of challenges. For example, the route
passes along the banks of the River Usk which is SSSI protected
while the river itself has the second highest tidal range in the
world. It also passes through an important woodland as well as a
quarry that provided the stone to build Caerleon’s roman
amphitheatre and barracks.
It continues through the grounds of the 2010 Ryder Cup course at
the Celtic Manor and will utilise the cable stay bridge spanning
the River Usk which was recently constructed to connect the
practice grounds and hospitality area with the main course. A
section of the route that crosses a floodplain has even been
constructed entirely of recycled plastic.
The Connect2 scheme is part of a UK wide initiative from
Sustrans which is providing vital transport links for 79 local
communities using a £50m award from the Big Lottery Fund.
Newport City Council cabinet member for Highways and Transport,
Cllr David Atwell said: “This cycle and walking path is great news
for Newport and I’m extremely grateful to the Welsh Assembly
Government, Sustrans and Newport Unlimited for their contribution
to this project. When the path is completely finished it has major
potential for cycling and walking in Caerleon, as well as providing
better links between Caerleon and the city, linking the University
of Wales campuses and also providing safe routes to and from school
for students in Caerleon.”
Rosemary Butler, Newport West AM said: “This is a very important
section because it shows how an imaginative use of natural
surroundings can encourage people to cycle. It's the first
genuinely rural part of the route and local people have already
shown a tremendous amount of interest in it. It's a tribute to all
those who have worked so hard on the design and the funding, and
gives us a foretaste of what can be achieved as the route
progresses into and beyond Caerleon.”
Vinny Mott of Sustrans says: “This is a fantastic and very
scenic stretch of route, but what’s even better is that it now
connects the centre of Newport to the edge of Caerleon so it’s
possible to have an easy cycle on a mostly traffic free route. It’s
a great way to travel between the two and in a surprisingly short
time too.”