A NARROW section of road near Penrhyncoch is to be widened before construction starts on a £40m development following “hard negotiations” between the university and the council.

Calls for the widening of the “pinch point” on the C1010 road, which lies between the A4159 crossroads and the IBERS campus at Gogerddan, and which services Penrhyncoch from Aberystwyth and the A44 and A487 trunk roads, have been made since the university consulted on its Innovation and Enterprise Campus in October 2016.

The council has now announced the imminent closure of the road for around four months, with a warning it could be closed for up to 18 months.

Traffic coming in and out of Penrhyncoch will be diverted along the U1064, a road which bypasses the crossroads and is primarily used as a short cut between Penrhyncoch and Bow Street.

Cllr Dai Mason, who has fought for the road improvements to form part of the application, said he was “delighted” at the announcement.

“I have campaigned for an improvement scheme here since being first elected as the councillor for Trefeurig,” he said this week.

“It has been a pinch point and an accident black spot for 40 years, and I am delighted that the university has, following hard negotiations, now finally agreed to meet the strict planning condition to allocate land to Ceredigion County Council.

“Ceredigion County Council will be financing the works for this road improvement scheme. This will ensure a safe gateway to Penrhyncoch and the surrounding villages.”

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