Drivers face a year and a half of disruption due to a major roadworks project on the Heads of the Valleys road. An eight-mile stretch of the A465 will be closed temporarily for 18 months, with a lengthy diversion route enforced.
The Welsh Government has announced a traffic order for the road which comes into force on Monday, November 7, and will remain in place until May 6, 2024. Get the latest Traffic and Travel news from WalesOnline sent straight to your inbox for free by signing up to our newsletter.
During this period, the road between Brynmawr Roundabout and Abergavenny's Hardwick Roundabout will be subject to a series of "intermittent" and temporary closures. A 25-mile diversion route will also be enforced, over three times longer than the stretch of road that is being closed. You can get more traffic and travel news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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The road will be closed overnight on weekdays between 8pm and 6am. It will also shut during the weekend, from 8pm on Fridays to 6am on Mondays.
For those travelling westbound, the lengthy diversion route will take vehicles off the Heads of the Valleys Road at Hardwick Roundabout and onto the A4042 to Pontymoile. Drivers will then head west on the A472 to Crumlin before travelling north on the A467 to Brynmawr.
The same route applies to those travelling eastbound, but in the opposite direction. It is thought the diversion will add around half an hour to people's journeys, with it estimated to take just under 45 minutes to travel between the two major junctions.
While the closures are in place, all vehicles - except for emergency services and those accessing the roadworks - will be banned from driving on the road. Advanced notices of specific closures will be issued by the government ahead of time.
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