Roadworks are driving residents to distraction
RESIDENTS near roadworks on the Heads of the Valleys road claim their journey times have almost doubled as thousands of cars have been diverted through B-roads.
Motorists in Blaenau Gwent’s Beaufort and Brynmawr communities have experienced chaos over the past week, with traffic being diverted through rural roads towards Ebbw Vale.
This particular section of roadworks on the A465, which is being converted from a three-lane road into a dual carriageway from Brynmawr to Gilwern, could last as long as four months while developers connect the carriageway towards Abergavenny, partially closing the Brynmawr roundabout in the process.
The work is part of a £336m project on a five-mile stretch which started in 2014. The deadline has already been pushed back twice.
Locals say it is leading to major disruptions between Brynmawr and Ebbw Vale, with the village of Beaufort bearing the main brunt of the traffic issues.
Tailbacks have been seen stretching from Beaufort as far back as the retail park near Blaina Road in Brynmawr over the past few days.
While commuters travelling eastbound towards Abergavenny may be largely unaffected by the latest changes, residents say travel in the opposite direction between Brynmawr and Ebbw Vale has become very difficult during peak times.
Katherine Wiles, of Abertillery, has worked in the Merthyr Road Garage between Brynmawr and Beaufort for more than 20 years but says she has never experienced anything quite like this.
She said: “The mornings aren’t too bad but once you get to the afternoon the traffic really starts to pick up. It’s bumper-to-bumper stuff to the point where the journey from Brynmawr to
Ebbw Vale is taking almost double the time, and when it gets to rush hour it seems to almost completely stop.
“We’ve had customers come in who say it took over an hour to get here from Tredegar, which is only a few miles away, and I think that really shows the impact the work has had on local travel time.
“We understand the Heads of the Valleys road has to be finished, and we think it will be great when it’s done, but at the same time it’s a shame something couldn’t have been done for residents who live between Brynmawr and Beaufort to continue with some normality.”
Mechanic Darren Lewis, from Blaina, has also worked in the roadside garage for the past 25 years.
He said: “It gets so bad after midday that if we want to take the cars out for a test drive, or even just turn them around, then we’re really struggling.”
Councillor Stewart Healy, a lifelong resident in Beaufort, said that even though people are feeling frustrated with the large amounts of traffic at the moment, there is also an understanding that the work simply has to be done.
The Welsh Government thanked the people of Brynmawr and Beaufort for their “continued patience”.
A spokesman said: “We remain very grateful for people’s continued patience while these works are being carried out, and are working with the contractor to ensure key information is communicated effectively.
“Converting the A465 to dual carriageway and bypassing Brynmawr roundabout for through traffic is an important part of the improvements in the area which we are confident will deliver real benefits once fully operational.”