As many readers may have seen, the Heads of the Valleys road is finally set to be completed this year but will end up costing the public purse an eyewatering £2 billion.
I recognise how relieved many residents and businesses will be that the nightmare of continuous traffic and road closures will be over. It's difficult to assess the cost to individuals and communities but it will have been immense.
Although the road will be completed, and we hope benefits to the Welsh economy will flow as a result, we do however have to ask questions about the value for money that this road project will bring. We have to ask what the wider cost of all this will have been recognising many other road schemes couldn't be progressed due in part to the overhead of this scheme.
It is clear the Welsh Labour government has not handled the scheme well and lessons must be learned from this, ensuring that future projects do not end up costing the Welsh taxpayers more than is necessary.
If this huge amount of money had been used differently, what could have been delivered for Wales?
We need to ensure that this project is not used as an excuse to not invest in other areas of Wales. New roads will always be needed, and we shouldn't shy away from investing in infrastructure, but they have to deliver value for money and be delivered on time.
We need a pragmatic approach to our road investment, ensuring that Wales has an infrastructure fit for the 21st century that helps to boost the economy and make our country more accessible.
Furthermore, with every major infrastructure project, there comes an element of compensation for those affected by construction issues such as the impact we have seen to businesses communities and on green spaces.
It’s a fact that Heads of the Valleys scheme has had a huge impact on many people's lives, and I have been contacted by multiple constituents affected by the project who are still expecting appropriate compensation.
I know the Welsh Government has already paid out £45 million compensation so far, but I fear this is just the tip of the iceberg as to what is owed. It is important that everyone who was promised and is expecting compensation should get it.
As the new Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Transport, I will be holding this Government account on this matter and will be asking the Cabinet Secretary responsible what action is being taken to ensure that compensation is handed out in a fair manner and that those affected are not short changed.
Peter Fox MS - Monmouth
