A £61 million scheme to improve a notoriously congested road linking north Wales to England has been opened.

Work began on the A5117 road improvement plan in October 2006 to reduce congestion and increase safety by removing three bottleneck junctions on the border between Flintshire and Cheshire.

Ian Gallagher, the Freight Transport Association’s (FTA) regional policy manager for Wales, said: “FTA members operating in north Wales flagged up this particular ‘pinch point’ as a problem and we are delighted for them that connectivity to Wales has now been significantly improved with the A5117 link.”

As well as fuel cost savings, commercial vehicle operators will also benefit from shorter and more reliable delivery times.