£1.4 billion for Welsh roads

The Welsh government has given £1.4 billion towards road projects across Wales to improve accessibility, reduce journey times, boost reliability, and to increase safety on the roads. As one of the UK’s largest and most technically challenging road projects, this is set to be completed in the summer.

When finished later this year, the A465 (Hirwaun to Dowlais) project will deliver 17.7km of new dual carriageway, 6.1km of side roads, more than 14km of active travel routes, 38 new culverts (a structure that moves water past an obstacle), 30 new bridges, and 28 retaining walls.

The scheme will connect communities by linking the Valleys, South and West Wales to the English Midlands and beyond, as well as creating more than 2,000 new jobs, employing 158 apprentices, and supporting more than 66 community initiatives.

To mitigate ecological impacts from the project, a series of environmental measures have been taken, such as the relocation of species and the creation of new habitats for them, relocated affected coppiced stools and topsoil from ancient woodland, and planting more than 55,000 trees in the local area. 120,000 trees in total are expected to be planted by the end of the programme.

On a visit to the A465 project, cabinet secretary for transport and North Wales, Ken Skates said: “Fixing our roads is a key priority for us. We’ve spend £1 billion fixing and improving our roads since 2021, including more than £250 million 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.”