First Minister pledges support for Valley link
Carwyn Jones has pledged Welsh Government’s backing to major traffic scheme which promises to improve traffic flow in the Cynon Valley
FIRST Minister Carwyn Jones has pledged the Welsh Government’s support to a major traffic scheme in the Cynon Valley.
The Cynon Valley cross valley link project – which would see a road bridge built over the Afon Cynon river at the Cwm Cynon Industrial Estate by 2019 – promises to significantly improve traffic and reduce travel times in and around Mountain Ash.
The bridge will link traffic from the A4059 main road to the B4257 at Miskin Road on the other side of the river in Mountain Ash – near the Baileys Arms pub and Glyngwyn Street.
It would also mean less traffic would be travelling through Mountain Ash town centre, and is expected to have a knock-on effect of improved traffic across the Cynon Valley.
New Cynon Valley AM Vikki Howells has asked the First Minister about the project in a plenary meeting at the Senedd on May 24.
Mr Jones replied: “The national transport finance plan sets out investment for transport and infrastructure in all parts of Wales.
“By now, the Cynon Valley link is identified as Rhondda Cynon Taf’s number one priority scheme for 2015-20, and we have allocated money to the council to develop the Cynon Gateway South scheme.”
Ms Howells said the scheme being treated as a priority is “welcome news” and added: “Will you continue to work with the local authority to push forward this important infrastructure project, which has the potential to benefit commuters and boost economic regeneration throughout my constituency?”
The First Minister replied: “Yes, we will.
“It’s early days yet, of course, because this is the preparatory work that’s being done, but we would expect RCT to make a formal submission over the course of the next few years.
“We know that Aberdare is close geographically to the A470 and the A465, but we know that the roads are not good in terms of people coming in to Aberdare, and it’s important to have a fast route out to the Heads of the Valleys from the town.
“We’ll be working, of course, with RCT council to make sure that happens in the years to come.”