The study will look at improving traffic flow

The Welsh Assembly is to carry out a study of the A55 expressway - which will include the possibility of building of a second tunnel for the Penmaenbach stretch of the coastal route.

The project involving the headland road and other sections of the dual carriageway was revealed in a letter from Welsh Environment Minister, Sue Essex, to Conwy AM, Gareth Jones.

The minister said: "We fully recognise that there are sections of the A55 which do not provide a consistent standard of service and that of the headland section is one of them.

"The Welsh Assembly Government therefore intends to carry out a study into the headland road and other sections of the A55 in order to establish the best and most cost effective ways of ensuring the safety of the whole route and also to consider the possibility of a second tunnel."

It is pretty horrific at times - depending on the roadworks Teacher, Meurig Jones

Mr Jones had raised concerns about the state of the road in a plenary debate in the assembly last December.

He has given a cautious welcome to news.

He said: "I am pleased that the Government has finally taken notice of my persistent criticisms of the traffic problems on the A55 and especially at this bottleneck, and is now prepared to consider the possibility of a second tunnel.

Roadwork delays

"The eastbound headland road, when it finally re-opens at the end of next year, will continue to present real problems in the future.

The only sensible long-term solution is to build a second tunnel, something that ought to have been done in the first place.

Unofficial estimates of the cost of a new tunnel has been put at �15m.

Roadworks are a common sight on the A55

"We in north Wales have been starved of investment in our transport infrastructure for decades and it is about time that we received our fair share," added Mr Jones.

Teacher Meurig Jones, who lives in Bangor but works in Ysgol y Creuddyn, Llandudno, believes something should be done.

"I travel along the stretch every day," he said.

"It is pretty horrific at times - depending on the roadworks.

"Recently, congestion has been slightly eased by going through the tunnel rather than around the headland - but the road cannot be described as an expressway.

"Clearly another tunnel would be fantastic, but my only worry is that if it has taken 15 months for them to do work on the headland how long will it take to put another tunnel in and the disruption that will incur?"

Works to strengthen the retaining wall and portal decks over the railway line at the headland began in January 2003 causing delays for motorists.