Huge upgrade to 28 miles of road in Wales finally finishes after 23 years

Wales Online

2 days ago

Huge upgrade to 28 miles of road in Wales finally finishes after 23 years
The last traffic cone and contraflow has been removed from the A465 Heads of the Valleys road after a long, drawn-out saga
It was described as one of the UK's 'most significant infrastructure investments'
(Image: John Myers )
It is Wales' most-expensive road building project ever. And now, 23 years on since the work began, traffic can finally run smoothly again in an area which has caused traffic misery for motorists.
On Friday night the last traffic cone and contraflow was removed from the A465 Heads of the Valleys road. The long-awaited moment marked the completion of a 28-mile upgrade which began in 2002 and cost £2 billion. The project had been described by Welsh Government minister Jane Hutt as "one of the most significant infrastructure investments in the whole of the UK."
Work to convert the A465 into a dual carriageway began in 2002 and has been carried out step by step ever since.
The road links the M4 by Neath with the A40 dual carriageway at Abergavenny and ultimately the midlands of England. The final stage of the project - the section between Hirwaun and Dowlais - began in 2001.
Now complete, 17.7km of new dual carriageway has been put in place, along with 6.1km of side roads, more than 14km of active travel routes, 38 new culverts to channel water, 30 new bridges and 28 retaining walls.
The new road will be a 70mph dual carriageway with six junctions.
How construction looked during the project
(Image: Welsh Government )
The Welsh Government say the scheme has created more than 2,000 new jobs with over half of those employed living in the local area, employing 158 apprentices with just under half from the valley's region, helping to support education and skills training.
As well as economic benefits the project has also created a series of environmental benefits, the Welsh Government adds.
Species such as the great crested newt and marsh fritillary butterfly have been relocated and new habitats created for bats, dormouse and lapwing, and more than 55,000 trees have been planted locally, rising to an expected 120,000 by the end of the programme.
Wales' transport minister Ken Skates previously said: "This project is an incredibly impressive piece of engineering and a fantastic example of how targeted investment in road infrastructure can deliver on many levels, providing jobs for the local community, improving accessibility, supporting education and skills, alongside delivering environmental benefits.
"It's been a complex project which has not been without its challenges, and I would like to thank everyone who has played their part in helping us to deliver one of the largest road projects in the UK.'
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Keith Jones, of the institution of civil engineers, told the BBC: "As a whole, the Heads of the Valleys project is one of the UK's biggest road upgrade projects for many years
"And what's been so challenging is keeping the existing road operational while the work has gone on in some challenging and bleak terrain."