THE LONG ROAD TO FOUR LANES
And the £336m journey’s not over yet...
IT’S a five-mile stretch of road that will cost in excess of £336m to complete.
Since 2014 work has been under way to convert the A465 Heads of the Valleys road from Brynmawr to Gilwern from a threelane road into a dual carriageway.
It was originally hoped the scheme would be complete in 2018, then in 2019.
But due to complex ground conditions and traffic management issues, the deadline has now been pushed back to the end of this year, and will come in at £54m over budget.
In that time it has caused six years of road closures, frustration and anger for the people and businesses who have been forced to live in the shadow of what is one of
Wales’ biggest road construction projects. Now the Welsh Government has released an update into what has been going on while the work has been under way.
THE WORK IS NOW 87% COMPLETE
Around 87% of the work is complete. This includes two new bridges at Glanbaiden roundabout and the concrete arch bridge at Gilwern – the largest of its type in the world.
In total seven bridges will be built along with 12,500 metres of retaining structures.
To achieve that, the equivalent of more than 400 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of material has been excavated. That equates to 1.3 million cubic metres.
The project is also using 16,400 cubic metres of reinforced concrete, 5,000 tonnes of reinforced steel, 109,000 tonnes of flexible pavement, and has installed more than 20km of pipework.
IT IS HOPED THE DUALCARRIAGEWAY WILL MAKE THE ROAD SAFER AND CONNECT UP THE VALLEYS
One of the main reasons for the work is to prevent the number of crashes on the road caused by the current three-lane system with its “shared overtaking lane”.
The Welsh Government said it
will benefit an estimated 21,000 vehicles that use the A465 between Brynmawr and Gilwern.
Even at the time the original road was being built in 1960, discussions were being held in Parliament over the plans over what Cardiff West MP George Thomas described as “statistical proof that three-lane roads are less safe”.
But it wasn’t until 50 years later that work to correct that was put into action.
Perhaps more importantly, it also hoped the road will make the Heads of the Valleys road a route for trade and industry to stretch from the West Midlands through to West Wales.
But economists have also argued it could in fact do the opposite, by bringing trade into the area to compete with existing businesses, and make the area a “Blaenau Gwent bypass”.
THE BRIDGE NAMED IN HONOUR OF A FIRST WORLD WAR HERO
In 2018 the Jack Williams Gateway Bridge was opened to the public.
It is named to pay tribute to First World War hero Jack Williams – a blacksmith from Nantyglo who was awarded the Victoria Cross after single-handedly overpowering a German machine gun post in France and capturing 15 enemies.
The bridge spans 118 metres and crosses one of South Wales’ most important environmental and ecologically sensitive areas.
The soldier’s great-great-granddaughter Adriana Smith was joined at the unveiling of a naming stone for Jack by 12 other family members.
IT HAS CREATED 270 JOBS BUT ALSO AFFECTED LOCAL BUSINESSES DUE TO ROAD CLOSURES
More than 270 new jobs, 69 new apprenticeships and 120 work experience opportunities have been created as a result of the ongoing roadworks. Some 300 school and college initiatives have been delivered, and 171 educational site visits have taken place
The scheme has been designated National Skills Academy status by the Construction Industry Training Board, and received the Careers Wales Silver Award in 2019.
BUT IT’S NOT ALL GOOD NEWS.
As a result of the ongoing road works and the road closures that have affected the area, some businesses in the village of Gilwern have suffered.
Lee Hammond, landlord of the Towpath Inn, said he loses a third in turnover when the Heads of the Valleys road is shut.
Speaking last month, he said: “We took it over thinking it would be less than a year until they finish, and then they added another two years to it.
“It definitely affects trade every weekend it’s closed. You can see a big difference.
“We do street food every weekend and if the Heads of the Valleys is closed we’ll be down about a third usually on turnover.
“In summer it’s hard to measure as we’re just full constantly, but in these slightly quieter times you notice if you haven’t got any passing traffic. Especially when your Fridays and Saturdays pay the bills through winter.”
MORE THAN 30,000 TREES HAVE BEEN PLANTED
We are living in a time where protecting the environment is more important than ever.
During the roadworks, 30,000 trees have been planted by the Welsh Government.
The Lapwing Mitigation project in the area has also seen three to four breeding pairs return to the site, and more than 6,850 tonnes of recycled glass has been imported from a local provider.