National Highways has announced that it will be installing a permanent solution to the rockfall-affected Leys Bend on the A40 in Herefordshire, on the English/Welsh border.

Following completion of “extensive surveys” along the Herefordshire-Monmouthshire border, the specialists will stabilise the hillside using steel bolts and mesh in the rockfall-affected area, says the Hereford Times.

A spokesperson for the organisation said due to the “complex nature” of the design and the work involved, construction is expected to be completed in winter, with the contraflow system remaining in place.

The traffic system was erected in January to ensure the A-road could remain open in both directions.

Drivers have faced delays on the A40 between Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth since February 2024, when rockfall closed the northbound carriageway at Ganarew. Since then, drivers have been split into two lanes on what was the Southbound carriageway heading into Monmouthshire, with the once 70mph speed limit slashed to 40mph.

Delays on the road were previously blamed on dormice, who had been reportedly living within the rock-fall area.

Carl Touhig, Monmouthshire County Council’s senior officer for highways, cited Leys Bend as an example of how repairs and maintenance work can fall behind schedule when he briefed the council’s public services scrutiny committee on the management of the road network. 

“At Leys Bend that work was put on hold because of concerns there may be dormice in the slippage itself and that put at least six months on to the job,” said Mr Touhig. “It doesn’t take a lot. 

“I wouldn’t want to see dormice displaced either but it is a difficult thing for us when badgers, otters, dormice, bats and other species require special measures before we can go in and do work and adds a lot of time to our programmes.” 

(Pic: Traffic Wales)