Merthyr Tydfil residents are facing months of "major disruption" in the coming months as the Heads of the Valleys scheme progresses. The Welsh Government project — which is converting the A465 between Dowlais Top and Hirwaun from a single into a dual carriageway — will see important routes near the trunk road temporarily close.
Merthyr mayor Declan Sammon revealed roadworks will soon take place at Jones Street Bridge, Pant Road, and Rocky Road. He told WalesOnline: "It's a project that people understand has to be done because of all the fatalities that have occurred on the A465 over quite a number of years but it's frustrating to residents that the delays are going to happen. It will cause major disruption to residents of Pant and Dowlais and the congestion will affect people in Penywern, Penydarren and probably the Gurnos as well."
Speaking about the Jones Street Bridge work Mr Sammon said: "The road between Penywern and The Hafod is due to close from around August 22, 2022, for a period of up to six months. A new road bridge is to be built alongside the existing bridge with traffic then being transferred to the newly-built bridge. We have been informed that there will be no access for either vehicles or pedestrians while the closure is in place. Around July/August/September 2023, this road is again scheduled to close for around six months while the older bridge is demolished."
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Mr Sammon, who is councillor for Dowlais and Pant, also shared details of work scheduled for Pant Road. "No vehicles will be able to drive down towards Victoria Street from the Junction of Pant Road and the ICI Industrial Estate for the duration of works on the Jones Street Bridge," he said. "Vehicles coming from Pant will have to turn right onto the ICI Industrial Estate except for buses. Traffic will still be able to drive from the direction of Victoria Street to Pant. Pedestrians will not be affected in either direction."
Pant Industrial Estate has recently been closed but will reopen on August 31. The councillor added that the top section of Rocky Road will close for up to three months from around August 22 but residents will still have access.
"These closures are most definitely going to cause issues as there are going to be an estimated 1,000 extra cars travelling on the roads around Victoria Street and Pant Road," Mr Sammon said. "We have sought assurances that if major issues arise during the closures the highways department will step in to try and lessen those issues."
The scheme will change the A465's two- and three-lane single-carriageway between Dowlais Top and Hirwaun into a double two-lane carriageway. It is the final phase in the Heads of the Valleys work along 65km of the A465 between Abergavenny in the east and Hirwaun in the west, which has been under way since 2002.
Roadbridge, a sub-contractor that was involved in the scheme, recently went into administration which "briefly disrupted" the programme but a replacement contractor is already onsite and the project remains on target for completion by 2025, said a government spokesman. She added that the scheme would reduce injuries from collisions by more than 1,000 over 60 years by providing segregated carriageways and junctions and "improved overtaking opportunities" as well as new routes for cyclists and pedestrians.
The A465 between Dowlais and Hirwaun is open to two-lane traffic for the duration of the construction work except for a "relatively small number" of weekend and overnight closures of the trunk road, according to the government. The roadwork plans revealed by Mr Sammon are for "local roads crossing or running alongside the dualling scheme, which are necessary for the construction work", the spokesman added.
“Improving the A465 between Dowlais Top and Hirwaun is a long-standing commitment," she said. "It is a challenging project but we thank residents for their patience while the works are ongoing. The new road will improve road safety and traffic flow in the area and support economic regeneration while considering the impact on the environment."
You can read more about the impact of the roadworks here. And you can find more Merthyr Tydfil stories here.
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