A footpath will be closed for public safety reasons during the construction of the new £35m Porthmadog Bypass. An alternative route will be available for users.

From 6am on Monday 26 April 2010, Footpath 11 which runs alongside the Welsh Highland Railway line from Gellerts Farm Porthmadog to Pen y Mount will be sealed off and access closed to all users along the section leading from the Cambrian Coast mainline railway to Pen y Mount. Signposts will be in place directing people to the agreed alternative route which will lead pedestrians via Lon-y-Traeth. The footpath, which is particularly popular with local dog owners who use it to walk their pets, will be re-opened once construction work is completed on the new bypass.

The Welsh Assembly Government awarded the contract to build the bypass to a joint venture of Jones Bros (Civil Engineering) and Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering.

Commenting on the closure of the footpath, which is necessary to protect people from traffic and construction works associated with delivering the bypass, the joint venture’s chief engineer, Paul Robinson, said: “The health and safety of the public and our workforce is always our prime concern. While it is regrettable that the footpath’s temporary closure may inconvenience some people in the short term, it is a necessity and must be seen in terms of the long term benefits which the bypass will bring to people throughout the locality.”

The long-planned new section of the A487 carriageway is expected to improve journey times, ease congestion and significantly improve environmental conditions by enabling current through traffic to bypass the three towns of Porthmadog, Tremadog and Minffordd.

The A487 is an important route for travelling between north and south Wales as well as being a key connection between towns and villages in the area.