Severn link soon?
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• Hopes are growing that the Government is prepared to give the go-ahead for a second Severn crossing.
Welsh Secretary Nicholas Edwards has told Welsh MPs that work on the feasibility study is so comprehensive and detailed that there would be no delay in implementing it if it was decided to go ahead.
Labour MPs urged him to give a firm commitment now rather than wait for the report.
One Tory MP warned that failure to give a clear commitment to the second crossing could ruin the party's chances at the next election.
Edwards said the work of the consultants was "immensely thorough and covered all the necessary assessments that would be needed if the crossing was to be built".
He added that a second crossing could even have builtin windshields to prevent the repetition of the first-ever closure of the Severn Bridge last week because of high winds.
"The fact that all this work is going on, and is fully on schedule, demonstrates the Government's determination to guarantee a reliable and first-class link across the Severn," said Edwards.
Shadow Welsh Secretary Barry Jones said that public opinion will compel the Government to announce a favourable decision.