A road damaged by landslips, long in need of repair, will be undergoing construction until 2026, the Welsh Government has confirmed.
The A469 near Troedrhiwfuwch, which runs between New Tredegar and Pontlottyn, was affected by a landslip in 2014 and then ground movement in 2020 due to Storm Dennis and has been reduced to single-lane traffic ever since.
In February 2023 the Welsh Government confirmed the road would be one of a select few that would be repaired after the Roads Review – which saw many road projects scrapped as they were not in line with Wales’ environmental strategies.
Caerphilly County Borough Council is the responsible highway authority for the work on the A469 and the scheme received Welsh Government grant funding through the Resilient Roads Fund.
After submitting Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to both Caerphilly County Borough Council and the Welsh Government, Caerphilly Observer can now reveal that construction is set to continue until 2026.
This means construction will be completed 12 years after the road was first beset by problems and six years since it has been operating as a single-lane road.
When Caerphilly Observer asked the council for the proposed timeline for the road repair, the FOI response stated: “Stage B of the project design was awarded in 2022 and Welsh Government funding was recently approved towards the continuation of additional site survey work, early warning review, additional ground investigation and monitoring and preliminary design development for 2023.
“A preliminary design decision is expected in 2024 which will then inform the full design process.”
The Welsh Government’s response read: “The detailed design and WelTAG Stage 3 work is planned for 2023/24. The construction phase is planned for 2024/25 and 2025/26.”
When Caerphilly Observer asked Caerphilly County Borough Council how much the project would cost, the FOI response stated: “Construction costs are quite volatile at present and early cost indications were circa £15m but this will be refined as detailed design progresses.”
The Welsh Government response stated: “The projected total scheme cost is £15,836,900.”
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