One of the UK’s largest and most technically challenging road projects is set to be completed in Wales this summer.
The £1.4bn Welsh government-funded project is intended to improve accessibility, reduce journey times, provide extra resilience and reliability, and enhance road safety.
The A465 (Hirwaun to Dowlais) project when completed later this year will have delivered 17.7km of new dual carriageway, 6.1km of side roads, more than 14km of active travel routes, 38 new culverts, 30 new bridges, and 28 retaining walls.
Ken Skates, the Welsh government’s cabinet secretary for transport and North Wales, said: “Fixing our roads is a key priority for us. We’ve spent £1bn fixing and improving our roads since 2021, including more than £250m in the past year.
“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.”
As well as connecting communities by linking the Valleys, South and West Wales to the English Midlands and beyond, the scheme is also said to have created significant opportunities for the local economy. These include:
- Creating 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
- Supporting more than 66 community initiatives
- Spending more than £200m in the Valleys supply chain
- Delivering more than 22,000 hours of pupil engagement
It’s claimed the project has also created a series of environmental benefits. To mitigate ecological impacts a series of measures have been taken as part of the project. These include:
- The relocation of species such as great crested newt and marsh fritillary butterfly and the creation of new habitats to support these alongside bats, dormouse and lapwing
- Relocating coppiced stools and topsoil from ancient woodland impacted by the project
- Planting more than 55,000 trees in the local area with a total of 120,000 expected to be planted by the end of the programme
Tim Wroblewski, associate director and principal environmental planner for TACP (UK) Ltd, said: “The project impacts sensitive habitats, species, and landscapes and through a series of innovative and best practice mitigation measures we’ve been working hard to ensure the project leaves a positive legacy on the environment. It is exciting to see our work starting to take shape with wildlife already making use of the new habitats we have installed.”
Main image: Works underway on the A465 (Hirwaun to Dowlais) project
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