CONGESTION problems at an Ammanford supermarket, where two accidents have occurred in the last five years, could be eased with a planned second entrance.

Tesco Stores Limited has applied to Carmarthenshire County Council for permission to alter the current access to the store by creating a two-way entrance on the dead-end road that runs to the east of the store.

Currently, that road offers only an exit from the store with traffic than merging onto the A474 roundabout at Ffordd William Walker, which also serves vehicles coming from Betws, Ammanford and the Tesco petrol station.

Rush hour can often see long queues and delays at the site, resulting in congestion misery for vehicles trying to not only enter and exit the store and petrol station, but also to access routes into the town and to Betws and the new relief road.

Tesco claim the proposal will result in the reduction of queuing in and around the site, providing easier

access to the store for all road users and will increase highway safety within the vicinity of the site.

In a report accompanying their proposal, Tesco agent Tim Phillips states that within just 200m of the application site two accidents have already occurred in the last five years.

The reports states that both happened at the A474/Tesco Access roundabout junction, with one recorded as a slight accident and the other as serious. It adds that the proposed alterations should improve highway safety, as the new access will reduce the number of vehicles queuing on the public highway network to get in to the site.

The proposal is not expected to increase vehicle movements in and out of the store car nor is it expected to have an effect on the local highway network, says Tesco.

The report also lays out how the new junction, which increases the number of entrances to the store to two, will work.

Vehicles will access the via the existing arrangement off the roundabout junction with the A474 and travel approximately 100m before turning in to the proposed entrance. Right of way will be given to vehicles traveling from the roundabout junction and in to the Tesco car park.

Vehicles traveling from the south of the road must give way to all vehicles entering or exiting the car park.