THE new A486 Llain to Synod Inn £2.4m improvement road in Ceredigion has made it to the shortlist for the prestigious Wales Project Awards 2017

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Wales Cymru has shortlisted 10 projects across Wales which celebrate the contribution of civil engineering by recognising schemes for their excellence in concept, planning and design, contract management and construction.

The Llain to Synod Inn scheme is one of five nominated for the Roy Edwards Award for projects less than £3m. The others are Mynydd y Gwrhyd wind farm, Swansea; Risca flood scheme; the River Usk bridge strengthening design, Newport, Gwent and tank 114 bund lining works, Milford Haven.

The improvement of the A486 Ceredigion Link Road, undertaken in stages since 2006, has resulted in a series of road improvements along the route linking Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and the M4 corridor, totalling more than 11.5km.

The £2.4m A486 Llain to Synod Inn Improvement Scheme was jointly funded by the Welsh Government Local Transport Fund and Ceredigion County Council and completes a key element of the Ceredigion Link Road.

The section involved construction of approximately 1.4km of highway realignment to the latest design standards, including a 7.3m wide single carriageway and shared use footway/ cycleway.

The link road provides an improved and safer key route from west Wales through to Carmarthen, and is now delivering benefits to communities having transformed the links for business, agriculture, commuters and tourists, while helping to support the regional economy.

Keith Jones, Director ICE Wales Cymru said: "I am pleased to see such a wide range of projects representing the breadth of civil engineering on the shortlist for this year’s awards.”

The winners will be announced on June 16 at a ceremony in Cardiff.