A40 Leys Bend Rockfall

A rockfall in early 2024 raised concern about the long-term stability of the hillside and caused damage to the carriageway.

Start date February 2024

End date TBC

Cost TBC

Latest updates

24 July 2024

Update: traffic management for debris removal

We’re progressing our plans for the removal of the rockfall debris from the A40 at Leys Bend, while also designing a scheme for the long-term solution which is currently planned to start in early 2025.

What’s happening?

Since the rockfall took place, we’ve installed a concrete barrier between lanes 1 and 2 on the eastbound carriageway to prevent any of the fallen material rolling or washing onto the live lane. It’ll also ensure the area is kept safe and traffic can keep moving. We’ve also gained legal access to the privately owned hillside. Surveys will continue to take place to monitor the stability of the hillside.

A40 Leys Bend Rockfall

When we clear the rock and loose debris from the area, we’ll be removing vegetation in the area immediately around it. Ecological and environmental surveys will be carried out before and during the work in consultation with Natural England. We’ll also ensure vegetation clearance is limited to only what is necessary, minimising the impact to the environment and wildlife.

Once vegetation, soil and rock have been removed from the location of the fall, we’ll be carrying out detailed examinations of the slope to allow us to determine the most appropriate method to manage the long-term risk in this area. This may include netting, rock bolts or a safety fence.

When will this work take place?

A programme of work has been produced in consultation with Herefordshire Council, Monmouthshire County Council and South Wales Trunk Road Agent, to safely remove the rockfall from the carriageway.

The rockfall will be removed in October and November 2024 which minimises the scheme’s impact on local residents and the travelling public. by avoiding other schemes affecting the road network in Monmouth as well as the peak tourist season. The design of the remedial works will then be carried out and its construction will start in early 2025.

What’s a contraflow?

We’ll use a contraflow system to keep the A40 open in both directions while the rockfall is removed, the area is made safe, and surveys are carried out on the hillside.

A contraflow is when the road is shut in one direction and traffic is then moved over to drive on the other side of the road to share the remaining carriageway. This provides us with a clear working area that enables us to work more safely and efficiently. For this scheme, the westbound carriageway will be kept open to enable us to keep one lane of traffic in each direction running while we carry out our work.

We might need to temporarily close the carriageways overnight. In these instances, a clearly signed diversion route will be put in place for both local and HGV traffic.

Diversion Route

No daytime closures are currently planned and so diversion routes will be used overnight.

All HGV and long-distance traffic will be diverted via the M5 and M4. Local traffic will be diverted from Abergavenny on the A465 to Hereford and then the A49 to Ross on Wye

Where can I find out more?

This week we’ll be holding Public Information Events in Monmouth where you can find out more about the project and ask any questions that you may have. Events will be taking place at the following locations:

Council Chamber, Shire Hall, Agincourt Square, Monmouth, NP25 3DY	25 July 2024	11.00am to 7.00pm
	26 July 2024	10.00am to 4.00pm
Monnow Bridge, Monnow Street, Monmouth, NP25 5ES	27 July 2024	10.00am to 2.00pm

Each exhibition will be attended by members of the National Highways project team and the scheme’s contractors, who’ll be available to discuss any specific queries you may have.

You can also call our 24/7 Customer Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000, or email info@nationalhighways.co.uk

17 June 2024

Update: our traffic management proposals

A programme of work has been produced in consultation with key stakeholders including Herefordshire Council, Monmouthshire County Council, South Wales Trunk Road Agent and Gov. Wales, which will enable us to safely remove debris from the carriageway and continue with the surveys required to design the permanent solution. It avoids other schemes affecting the road network in Monmouth as well as the peak tourist season, minimising the impact on local residents and road users

We’ll use a contraflow system to keep the A40 open while we remove the rockfall debris from the carriageway. This means that the westbound carriageway towards Monmouth will have one lane open both eastbound and westbound, separated by a barrier. It’ll allow traffic to travel in both directions while debris is removed safely, and surveys are carried out on the rockface and hillside in autumn. By using a contraflow, we’ll also reduce the number of closures required, limiting them to overnight closures only.

Overnight surveys of the crossover points, where traffic will cross over into contraflow, were carried out in early June. Work will commence on reinforcing these crossover points after the school summer holidays with the contraflow installed soon after.

Equipment will remain on-site during the removal of debris should any further rockfalls occur. This will enable us to make the area safe and allow us to continue survey work to inform the final scheme design.

All traffic management will return to its current configuration following removal of the rockfall and completion of the required surveys. We’ll then complete the design for the permanent solution which is currently planned to start in early 2025.
18 March 2024

Eastbound carriageway - update

On Monday 19 February, we successfully opened lane two on the A40 eastbound carriageway with a reduced speed limit of 40mph. Lane one currently remains closed, and we’ve installed a temporary concrete barrier to separate the area from traffic and stop any material from falling into lane two.

We’re regularly monitoring network performance and traffic in the area to understand if there are any additional measures we can put in place to improve journeys for road users.

Our team is currently working on plans for repairing the hillside and rockface above the A40. Due to the complex nature of this incident, and loose material on the hillside, it’s likely this work will take several months to plan and complete.

Repair work will be designed and led by engineering specialists, to ensure the long-term stability of the hillside. In the meantime, we aim to keep lane two open to traffic.

As our survey work progresses, additional risks may be identified meaning we’ll need to install road closures to put in place safety precautions. Should this be necessary, we’ll issue regular updates and make sure disruption to the local community and travelling public are kept to a minimum.

See more updates

Project information

There’s been a rockfall on the A40, close to the Welsh border, and therefore we need to carry out repair work to the hillside and rockface above the road.

The repair work to the hillside and rockface above the A40 will ensure the road remains safe to motorists for years to come.