Finishing touches being put on Newtown Bypass

But by Thursday, the roadway, which has been 70 years in the making and has cost around £90 million will finally be open to traffic.

It is 70 years since the calls were first made for a bypass to be built in Newtown, to ease traffic congestion that has caused havoc in the area for generations.

Alun Griffiths Contractors will be carrying out work right up until the opening on Thursday, and project manager Nick Cleary has admitted his team has overcome all the challenges they have faced.

He said: "We were more confident that we could open the road early after the good weather last summer, which allowed us to complete the bulk earth moving. Since then though, we had to deal with a very wet winter, and some additional ground stabilisation works, and have still been able to open the road early.

"It is one of the largest road projects ever constructed in Mid Wales or carried out by Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd.

"The project team working on the bypass have extensive experience of working on major infrastructure projects though, and this has helped us overcome the various project challenges.

"Those challenges have included difficult topography, challenging ground conditions, minimal additional land for construction, weather, and the location and scale of the project with its drain on local resources.

"There will be work happening right up to the opening and there are also some works away from the main carriageway planned after the road is opened."

Work will continue on planting, fencing and accommodation works after the road is opened.

Following that the Welsh Government and its agents will carry out the day to day maintenance as part of the Welsh trunk road network.