Fiddler’s Elbow bridge reopens after months of maintenance
A KEY road closure which has caused major diversions around the A470 ended on Friday, after four months of works.
The Fiddler’s Elbow bridge – the eastern arm off the Abercynon roundabout – has been closed in one direction since August 8, causing diversions for traffic travelling to and from the Cynon Valley, Merthyr Tydfil , Pontypridd and Caerphilly.
The £2m works were to fix and protect the bridge, owned jointly by Merthyr and Rhondda Cynon Taf councils. A statement by Merthyr Tydfil council on Friday confirmed the bridge is now fully re-open, after having announced De- cember 9 as a finish date for the project at the end of November.
Leader of Merthyr council, Councillor Brendan Toomey, said: “We would like to thank members of the public who have been affected by these works – we appreciate that the traffic diversions impacted upon residents from Abercynon all the way up to Pentrebach, so we would like to thank them for their patience and understanding during these critical works.
“During planning stages, diversions with the least impact on commuters were prioritised and we feel that disruption has been kept to a minimum throughout the duration of the works.
“Again, we would like to thank drivers using this route on their daily commute for their patience and cooperation.”
Andrew Morgan, RCT council leader, added: “I am pleased that these vital works have been completed ahead of the Christmas break.
“All structures have a natural life-span and while they receive attention and repair through the course of their use, there reaches a time where all such structures require significant investment to allow them to perform their role into the future.”