A NEWPORT man says a new £2.5 million junction off the A449 to be used during the 2010 Ryder Cup is a waste of public money unless it remains open to the public permanently.

The new interchange about a mile north of the Coldra roundabout on the Newport to Monmouth dual carriageway will give access to the Celtic Manor from the north and southbound carriageway.

The interchange leads to a drop off point on the hotel grounds where visitors will be brought in from off-site parking by shuttle bus for the October golfing tournament and other big events at the resort.

But Bill Holland, 66, of Malpas, said plans to only use the junction for the Ryder Cup and other events were “ludicrous” and wants the road to remain open all year round.

Retired Mr Holland, said the slip road would provide a shortened route to Caerleon, Christchurch and Langstone, along Bulmore Road and Catsash Road, saving people time and fuel and avoiding the often congested Coldra roundabout.

He added: “It’s obvious, if you spend money, you want to get something back. It’s like having a cake and not eating it.”

Assembly member for Newport East, John Griffiths, said it was very important that people get the maximum benefit from expenditure of precious public money.

He said: “It seems that maximum benefit in this case would come from having the road open generally all the time.

“It might be a considerable saving in time for many local people if it was open generally, particularly when the Coldra is congested as it often is.”

Mr Griffiths said he would speak to Assembly minister for transport, Ieuan Wyn Jones, and suggest the junction remain open.

A spokesman from the Assembly said the junction was part of £6.75 million Assembly-funded road improvement works for the Ryder Cup and was never intended to be open as a public interchange as the slip roads were not designed for that purpose.

He added: “With regard to tackling local congestion issues, we hope that the recent improvements at the Coldra have gone some way to reducing the problem."

Newport council said the junction could also be used in emergency traffic situations and it would liase with the emergency services and Traffic Wales to ensure timely and appropriate use.

Residents would complain if route was opened - AM

Newport West AM Rosemary Butler said motorists would be tempted to leave the A449 at this point rather than use the recently improved Coldra junction, and it would only lead to major traffic congestion on the narrow lanes surrounding the Ryder Cup course.

I think local residents would quite rightly complain. The junction was designed only as an access facility to the tournament car park during major events, and was the subject of a public consultation process long before it was ever built.

A lot of public money has been spent by the Assembly and Newport City Council on the improvement of the road network in the area generally, and I think people should take advantage of that rather than look for other routes."